Downton Wiltshire
Encyclopedia
Downton is a village and civil parish on the River Avon
in Wiltshire
, England
. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Salisbury
and close to the New Forest
. It includes the small ancient settlements of Hamptworth
and Witherington
.
, Roman
and Saxon
time. In 1953 the site of a Roman villa
was discovered at Downton. Excavations, in advance of housing development, revealed a villa with tessellated floors, at least two featuring mosaic
s, a hypocaust
and bath house
. The villa is no longer visible, but the finds, including one of the mosaics, are in Salisbury Museum
. There are also remains of a Norman
motte and bailey castle. It now is the location of the Moot Garden, an 18th-century ornamental garden overlooking the river. It contains an ancient monument known as the Moot, which commemorates the meeting place of Wiltshire Saxons. It is one of the oldest of English moot
s or local parliaments, a legacy left over from the time of the Bishop of Winchester's owning lands of Downton.
Manor House
in Downton is probably the longest-inhabited house in the South of England, used as a religious house from its construction around 850CE until the Reformation
.
King John
is said to have had a palace in Downton on one of the islands by the Moot. When the palace was taken down, it was believed the stone was used in the construction called New Court House.
Robert 'Bonnie Bobby Shafto
' was a Member of Parliament for Downton
in the latter half of the eighteenth century.
In 1836, a time of continued agricultural hardship, the parish sponsored an emigration of over 200 of its poor people to Upper Canada
; they sailed in April 1836 on the ship King William.
For about a decade from around 1961 Downton had an important part to play in British motorsport via the Downton Engineering Works.
In 1999 a community project, The Downton Millennial Book Fund, published an illustrated history of the village.
flows through Downton, and is the source of occasional flooding in the village. It had major flood defence work done in 2002. The watermeadows, fields through which irrigation channels were made using weirs and channelling, use the water from this river.
of St. Laurence, an ancient Grade I listed building; Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd, Downton Baptist Church and Downton Methodist Church
.
Development around the village has created an expansion of the industrial estate with a business centre. The Downton Business Centre is home to a variety of businesses including Hop Back Brewery, Revive Vending and Help for Heroes Trading.
The old tannery, which closed in 1998, has been converted into luxury apartments (a mixture of retirement homes and flats).
For many years Peter was its Chairman and President until his death in 2005. Shirley took on this role until her death in 2007.
The ethos of the fair was to allow local people and organisations the opportunity to raise funds without corporate sponsorship. Peter and Shirley moved to Downton in 1970 and lived in Leicester House, an 11th century stable boys cottage to the White Horse Public House. Peter was chairman of the local Scout troop, Governor to the Secondary School, supporter of Downton Band and Church warden at St Laurence Church as well as being a Salisbury Magistrate and local business man. Peter’s work was rewarded with an M.B.E in 1996. Shirley was also involved in many local organisations but spent most of her time at Salisbury Cathedral where she was their longest serving voluntary Guide until her death in 2007.
was first brewed in 1986 at the Wyndham Arms in Salisbury
, and moved to larger premises in Downton six years later. As of 2010, Hop Back own eleven public house
s around the south of England.
, a charity that raises money to supplement existing government provision for injured members of the British armed forces, is based in Downton.
River Avon, Hampshire
The River Avon is a river in the south of England. The river rises in the county of Wiltshire and flows through the city of Salisbury and the county of Hampshire before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the county of Dorset....
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
and close to the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
. It includes the small ancient settlements of Hamptworth
Hamptworth
Hamptworth is a small village in Wiltshire, England, in the extreme south-east of the county, a tithing of the civil parish of Downton.It has a pub, the Cuckoo Inn.-External links:* at any-village.com...
and Witherington
Witherington
Witherington is a small settlement in Wiltshire, England, in the extreme south-east of the county, a tithing of the civil parish of Downton.Although surveyed in the Domesday Book in the 11th century, it is now little more than one farm. The farmhouse, built about 1700, is a listed building....
.
History
Downton can trace its ancient origin back to the Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
time. In 1953 the site of a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
was discovered at Downton. Excavations, in advance of housing development, revealed a villa with tessellated floors, at least two featuring mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s, a hypocaust
Hypocaust
A hypocaust was an ancient Roman system of underfloor heating, used to heat houses with hot air. The word derives from the Ancient Greek hypo meaning "under" and caust-, meaning "burnt"...
and bath house
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
. The villa is no longer visible, but the finds, including one of the mosaics, are in Salisbury Museum
Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum
Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, commonly known as Salisbury Museum is a museum in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. It houses one of the best collections relating to Stonehenge and local archaeology....
. There are also remains of a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
motte and bailey castle. It now is the location of the Moot Garden, an 18th-century ornamental garden overlooking the river. It contains an ancient monument known as the Moot, which commemorates the meeting place of Wiltshire Saxons. It is one of the oldest of English moot
Moot
Moot may refer to:* from Moot as an Old English language term for meeting:**Folkmoot**Jamtamót, the old assembly of Jämtland**Witenagemot, the High Council of Anglo-Saxon England...
s or local parliaments, a legacy left over from the time of the Bishop of Winchester's owning lands of Downton.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
in Downton is probably the longest-inhabited house in the South of England, used as a religious house from its construction around 850CE until the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
.
King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
is said to have had a palace in Downton on one of the islands by the Moot. When the palace was taken down, it was believed the stone was used in the construction called New Court House.
Robert 'Bonnie Bobby Shafto
Bobby Shafto
Robert Shafto was an 18th-century British Member of Parliament , who was the likeliest subject of a famous North East English folk song and nursery rhyme "Bobby Shafto's Gone to Sea".-Biography:...
' was a Member of Parliament for Downton
Downton (UK Parliament constituency)
Downton was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
in the latter half of the eighteenth century.
In 1836, a time of continued agricultural hardship, the parish sponsored an emigration of over 200 of its poor people to Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
; they sailed in April 1836 on the ship King William.
For about a decade from around 1961 Downton had an important part to play in British motorsport via the Downton Engineering Works.
In 1999 a community project, The Downton Millennial Book Fund, published an illustrated history of the village.
Geography
The River AvonRiver Avon, Hampshire
The River Avon is a river in the south of England. The river rises in the county of Wiltshire and flows through the city of Salisbury and the county of Hampshire before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the county of Dorset....
flows through Downton, and is the source of occasional flooding in the village. It had major flood defence work done in 2002. The watermeadows, fields through which irrigation channels were made using weirs and channelling, use the water from this river.
Religion
Downton has four churches: the Church of England parish churchChurch of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of St. Laurence, an ancient Grade I listed building; Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd, Downton Baptist Church and Downton Methodist Church
Methodist Church of Great Britain
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...
.
Economy
The village is served by several shops including a supermarket, four local pubs; "The Wooden Spoon", "The King's Arms", "The White Horse" and "The Bull", one social club (Brian Whitehead Sports and Social Club), and a number of local businesses.Development around the village has created an expansion of the industrial estate with a business centre. The Downton Business Centre is home to a variety of businesses including Hop Back Brewery, Revive Vending and Help for Heroes Trading.
The old tannery, which closed in 1998, has been converted into luxury apartments (a mixture of retirement homes and flats).
Downton Cuckoo Fair
In 1980 Peter and Shirley Waddington along with Steve Addison, resurrected the medieval Fair known as the Downton Cuckoo Fair.For many years Peter was its Chairman and President until his death in 2005. Shirley took on this role until her death in 2007.
The ethos of the fair was to allow local people and organisations the opportunity to raise funds without corporate sponsorship. Peter and Shirley moved to Downton in 1970 and lived in Leicester House, an 11th century stable boys cottage to the White Horse Public House. Peter was chairman of the local Scout troop, Governor to the Secondary School, supporter of Downton Band and Church warden at St Laurence Church as well as being a Salisbury Magistrate and local business man. Peter’s work was rewarded with an M.B.E in 1996. Shirley was also involved in many local organisations but spent most of her time at Salisbury Cathedral where she was their longest serving voluntary Guide until her death in 2007.
Hop Back Brewery
Hop Back, one of England's award-winning small breweries, makers of "Summer Lightning", "Crop Circle", "GFB" and other beers, was founded by John and Julie Gilbert. BeerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
was first brewed in 1986 at the Wyndham Arms in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, and moved to larger premises in Downton six years later. As of 2010, Hop Back own eleven public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s around the south of England.
Help for Heroes
Help for HeroesHelp for Heroes
Help for Heroes is a British charity launched on 1 October 2007 to help provide better facilities for British servicemen and women wounded since September 11, 2001. It was founded by Bryn Parry OBE and his wife Emma Parry OBE after they visited soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham...
, a charity that raises money to supplement existing government provision for injured members of the British armed forces, is based in Downton.