| Downham Market | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Clock Tower in Downham Market | |
  Downham Market Location withinNorfolk | |
| Area | 5.20 km2 (2.01 sq mi) |
| Population | 9,994 (2011 Census)[1] |
| • Density | 1,922/km2 (4,980/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TF611032 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DOWNHAM MARKET |
| Postcode district | PE38 |
| Dialling code | 01366 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
| 52°36′N0°23′E / 52.60°N 0.39°E /52.60; 0.39 | |
Downham Market, sometimes simply referred to asDownham, is amarket town andcivil parish inNorfolk, England. It is on the edge ofthe Fens, on theRiver Great Ouse, approximately 11 miles (18 km) south ofKing's Lynn, 39 miles (63 km) west ofNorwich, and 30 miles (48 km) north ofCambridge.[2]
The civil parish has an area of 5.20 square kilometres (2.01 sq mi) and at the2011 census had a population of 9,994 in 4,637 households.[3] It now includes the hamlet of Broomhill, formerly part ofWimbotsham parish to the north of the town.
The town was an agricultural centre, developing as a market for the produce of the Fens with a bridge across the Ouse. During the Middle Ages, it was famed for itsbutter market and also hosted a notable horse fair. The market is now held Fridays and Saturdays.
Notable buildings in the town include itsmedievalparish church, dedicated toSt Edmund, and theVictorianclock tower, constructed in 1878. The town is also known as the place whereCharles I hid after theBattle of Naseby. In 2004 the town completed a regeneration project on the Market Place, moving the market to the town hall car park. The decorativetown sign depicts the crown and arrows of St Edmund with horses to show the importance of the horse fairs in the town's history. A heritage centre,Discover Downham, opened in a former fire station in 2016.[4] The town is twinned withCivray, Vienne, France.[5]
The towns name means 'Hill homestead/village' with a market. The town is situated on a terrace overlooking theGreat Ouse.
For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within thedistrict ofKing's Lynn and West Norfolk. TheNorfolk County Councilelectoral division of Downham Market covers a lesser area than that of the parish; the population of this division taken at the 2011 Census was 7,988.[6] In February 2022, eight town councillors, including the mayor Jenny Groom, resigned over claims of bullying.[7] The town is part ofSouth West Norfolk parliamentary constituency.
Historically, Downham Market was an important market centre for the surrounding agricultural area. It incorporated a famous horse fair and weekly livestock and butter markets. There were several maltings in the town supplying the brewing trade in the town at a time when beer was often safer to drink than well water.
Before the arrival of the railway in 1846, the riverside was largely agricultural with warehousing for river transport centred on the Great Ouse at Downham West. With the coming of the railway, there was a rapid industrial and residential development into Downham Market.[8]
Jacob Mason Bird built his steam mill by the railway. The mill, now run by Heygates, is still known as Bird’s Mill.[9] Other industries grew too as the railway became the focus for warehousing, the loading of cattle and products, and the building of railway housing.
Today, Downham Market has seen rapid residential development and has become a popular commuter town forCambridge. The town still hosts a market on Fridays and Saturdays. She would shop there during her visits to the Sandringham Estate.
The Town Clock, built by William Cunliffe in 1878, is a Grade II listed structure. Made of cast iron, the clock was originally bronzed and relieved on the prominent parts with gold. Later the clock was painted bottle green, and its current black-and-white finish was applied during the 2004 restoration.[10]
The town'swar memorial stands at the junction of London Road and Church Road. It was dedicated in October 1921 to the dead ofWorld War I. It was paid for by public subscription and built by H. J. Long, a local stonemason. The memorial originally commemorated 73 local servicemen who fell in the First World War with the names of the dead ofWorld War II added later. In 2005, Evelyn Irene Murrell, who died in 1918,[11] a member of theWRAF was belatedly added to the list of names. The memorial bears the crown-and-arrows symbol of the town and of the martyred KingSt Edmund of East Anglia to whom the church is dedicated.
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Downham Market is sometimes known as the 'Gingerbread Town' because of the characteristic localcarrstone used for buildings since medieval times.
St Edmund’s Church is a good example of this and is Downham’s onlyGrade I listed building. It stands in a dominant position overlooking the flat fenlands to the west. The Church like the town was probably anAnglo-Saxon foundation but rebuilt in the 13th century (Early English period) and extensively altered in the 15th and 16th centuries (Perpendicular andTudor periods).[12]
The Old Court House located on London Road was where the magistrates dispensed justice in the Clackclose Hundred from 1861.[13][14]
The Castle Hotel isGrade II listed and features a distinctive battlemented parapet. It is a mainly 18th-Century building, but the core is probably earlier.[15] In the past, visitors stayed here for hunting, shooting and fishing in the local area. The hotel had its own transport to and from railway station, and out on shooting parties. The building closed as a hotel and restaurant in 2020 and is set to be developed into flats.[16]
Downham Market Town Hall, on the west side of the old Market Hill, was built by public subscription in 1887/8.[17]
Opposite the Town Hall is a coaching inn, The Crown Hotel. Just inside the arched entrance are steps leading to amounting block for horsemen. Before the Court House was built, magistrates met here. In May 1816 it was the scene ofriots when the magistrates were besieged by angry, starving agricultural labourers demanding a living wage of two shillings a day and the release of poachers. Two of the Downham rioters, Daniel Harwood and Thomas Thody, were hanged on 31 August 1816.[18]
The 18th-century Dial House, located on Station Road, was once a private school for gentlemen in the 1860s.[19] Its name is derived from the sundial painted high on the wall. Today the building is a bed and breakfast.[20]
Downham Market railway station, which serves the town, is on theFen Line from London to King's Lynn. It opened in 1846. The station has hourly services toLondon Kings Cross andKing's Lynn operated byGreat Northern with additionalGreater Anglia services toLondon Liverpool Street at peak times.
The townsignal box is one of five rare examples across the region to have been grantedGrade II listed status in 2013. TheDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport listed 26 signal boxes across the country as part of a joint project betweenNetwork Rail andEnglish Heritage to secure the nation's railway signalling heritage. Downham's signal box was built in 1881 for theGreat Eastern Railway.[21]
In 2017, the station was renovated to commemorate formerBritish Rail divisionNetwork SouthEast.[22]
The town is served on Mondays - Saturdays byLynx route 37 toSouthery andKing's Lynn.[23] and by less regular "Go to town" services 47, 60 and 61 toFincham,Three Holes,Swaffham and King's Lynn.[24] There are no buses serving the town on Sundays.
Downham Market is on the north–southA10 road from London to King's Lynn. The east-west A1122 fromOutwell toSwaffham runs south of the town.
TheRiver Great Ouse and Great Ouse Relief Channel flows through the Western boundary of the town.
TheGreat Ouse Relief Channel was made navigable in 2001, when theEnvironment Agency constructed a lock at Denver to provide access. Moorings are located next to the Station Road bridge.[25] The river is a popular spot for boating and swimming.
There are twoprimary schools in Downham Market: Hillcrest Primary School and Nelson Academy.
Nelson Academy, situated on Nursery Road, was originally named Clackclose Community Primary School after ClackcloseHundred. The school opened in 1873 on Snape Lane. It was the first primary education academy sponsored by theCWA Academy Trust, founded by theCollege of West Anglia, in 2014. It is named afterLord Nelson who, according to localfolklore, attended his first school in Downham Market.[26]
Hillcrest Primary School is on Bexwell Road, and was opened in 1980 as Hillcrest First and Middle School. It is named after Hillcrest, the road connecting Bexwell Road and Civray Avenue. In 2018, the school began work on a new £4.5m nine classroom building.[27]
Downham Market Academy, formerly Downham Market GM High School, is asecondary school andsixth form withacademy status, The academy was launched on 1 July 2013, sponsored by theCWA Academy Trust founded by theCollege of West Anglia. Teaching is shared between two sites, with the main Bexwell campus housing pupils years 7–11 (ages 11–16) and the Downham Market Academy Sixth Form (formerly Downham Market College) campus offering A-levels to sixth form pupils years 12–13 (ages 16–18).
DownhamPreparatory School and Montessori Nursery is a non selective Independent Preparatory School for girls and boys aged 3 months to 13 years. The school was founded by its present (2021) owner, Elizabeth Laffeaty-Sharpe, in 1984 for children aged 2 to 5 years.
The Priory Centre holds the Downham Market Library.[28]
War Memorial Playing Fields holds a children’s playground, tennis courts and a multi-purpose sports court. Anon-league football club,Downham Town F.C., plays at the Memorial Field.
The Willows nature reserve was once one of the town'sbrickfields.
The Jubilee Community Centre, located on Howdale Road, hosts local Workshops, classes, child-care and community events. The Community Centre has a large field adjacent.
The Downham Market Heritage Centre includes interactive displays focused on local history. The centre includes free wifi, an internet café and research facilities with small library.
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