The Downs, Bristol

The Downs are an area of public open limestone downland in Bristol, England. They consist of Durdham Down to the north and east and Clifton Down to the south, separated by Stoke Road.

The Downs
Typepublic open space
LocationBristol, England
Coordinates51°28′N 2°38′W
Area412 acres (1.7 km2)
Statusopen all year
The Downs, Bristol is located in Bristol
The Downs, Bristol
Location of The Downs in Bristol

Durdham Down
Main article: Durdham Down

Durdham Down is the north and east part of the Downs, extending to Westbury Park and Henleaze, with an area of 85 hectares (210 acres).[1] It is owned by Bristol City Council for the benefit of the people of Bristol.

Clifton Down
Main article: Clifton Down

Clifton Down is the part of the Downs southwest of the southern part of Stoke Road, between Sneyd Park and Clifton and extending to the edge of the Avon Gorge, with an area of 82 hectares (202 acres).[1] It is owned by the Society of Merchant Venturers.

Management

Since an Act of Parliament in 1861, when Bristol Corporation acquired Durdham Down, the Downs have been managed as a single unit by the Downs Committee, a joint committee of the corporation and the Merchant Venturers.[2][3] They have been designated common land since the early 1970s by Bristol City Council.[1]

Background

They are used for leisure, walking, team sports and sightseeing (especially at the Avon Gorge cliff edge). There are permanent football pitches, used by the Bristol Downs Football League. There are also temporary attractions on the Downs, such as circuses and the annual Bristol Flower Show.

A grey concrete water tower of 1954 stands on the Downs near the top of Blackboy Hill, with a long, low, covered reservoir alongside it.

In 1982 6,000 people assembled on the Downs in response to a local newspaper advertisement placed by the makers of the new breakfast television show TV-am. The 6,000 people were used to make the words 'Good', 'Morning' and 'Britain', used for the opening titles of the show. It took 2 hours to get them into place and another 2 hours to shoot.

Panorama over the downs


Since 2016 it has been the site of The Downs Festival, an annual music festival with both local and nationally known bands attending.

The Downs played a significant role in Jack Thorne's 2018 Channel 4 mini-series Kiri.[4]

  • The Observatory on Clifton Down gives a dramatic view of the Avon Gorge
    The Observatory on Clifton Down gives a dramatic view of the Avon Gorge
  • Kites on the Downs in early autumn
    Kites on the Downs in early autumn
  • The Avon Gorge from the Downs
    The Avon Gorge from the Downs

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Downs.
  1. "Bristol - Pinpoint local information". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  2. The Downs Committee, The Downs: Clifton and Durdham Downs, 1861-1961 (Bristol, 1961)
  3. "History of The Downs" (PDF). Bristol City Council. 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  4. "Kiri review: beautifully observed drama, and not as grim as expected". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
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