Downend, South Gloucestershire
| Downend | |
 Downend
Downend shown within Gloucestershire |
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| Population | 12,125 (2011)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST650774 |
| Civil parish | Downend and Bromley Heath |
| Unitary authority | South Gloucestershire |
| Ceremonial county | Gloucestershire |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRISTOL |
| Postcode district | BS |
| Dialling code | 0117 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Filton and Bradley Stoke |
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Downend is a suburb of Bristol in South Gloucestershire, England. It is located to the North East of Bristol and bordered by the Bristol City suburb of Fishponds to its south west and the South Gloucestershire suburbs of Staple Hill to the south, Frenchay to the west and Mangotsfield to the East. Between Downend and Frenchay is Cleevewood and Bromley Heath, popular areas for families.
Newspaper readership varies between the popular tabloids, quality broadsheets and regional titles. Levels of book readership are also higher than average. Due to the suburban and rural locations of these households this populace demonstrates a very high propensity to use the internet to purchase goods online, being over 1.4 times more likely to decline a visit to their nearest store and instead buy groceries using the web. This group are more likely to take 2 or even 3 holidays each year. Hotel visits are also frequent, as are visits to their own timeshare property or holiday home. The outward expansion of Downend dating from the 1980s has been contained by the presence of the M4 motorway which swings around the northern side of Bristol. Downend has little industry within its boundaries, consisting mainly of domestic housing and local shopping facilities. The high street is home to a number of independently owned restaurants, allowing residents to eat out locally. The high street also offers a Sainsbury's and Co-op supermarket, two coffee shops, an independent investment consultancy, a high number of estate agents, most of the Major banks and a designer clothes store.
Downend has a lots of green space and parks including The King George V Playing Fields, and there is also a local cricket club located in the centre of Downend. Secondary and primary schools based in Downend include Downend School, Stanbridge Primary School, Bromley Heath Junior and Infant Schools and Christ Church Junior and Infant Schools. There are a few local churches although the closest are Downend Baptist Church on Salisbury Road and Christ Church on Downend Road. Badminton Road Methodist Church, between Downend and the Avon Ring Road, serves the newer housing alongside Badminton Road and in the Bromley Heath area.
Jenny Jones (snowboarder) and cricketer W. G. Grace were born in the village. Grace played cricket as a boy for the nearby West Gloucestershire Cricket Club, which had been founded by his father, the Downend GP. Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, members of the band Bananarama, also grew up in Downend (but attended Mangotsfield School). The rock band New Rhodes also lived in Downend for a short time.
Woodland, situated between Croomes Hill and Overndale Road in Downend, was the site of an air crash on 6 November 1957, when a prototype Bristol Britannia aircraft crashed killing the 15-man crew. The prototype aircraft crashed into nearby Britannia Woods, Downend after sweeping across the expanse of 1950s Downend.
Contents
Governance
An electoral ward in the same name exists. The total population of the ward at the 2011 census was 10.785.[2]
Sport and recreation
Downend has a wide range of local parks and open spaces, most notably King George's Field in memorial to King George V, the playing fields are used for Football in the Winter and Cricket in the summer months.
Downend School features the majority of the area's sports facilities, on the school's site there is a Sports Centre, Sports Hall, Changing + shower areas and a Gymnasium. The school has an all-weather football pitch which is hired out regularly for football training by local teams, Netball, Basketball and Nine Tennis Courts, Cricket nets and long jump pits. However there are no rugby pitches because the council decide what sporting facilities it chooses, even though there are three football pitches and the all-weather pitch.
Nearby Stanbridge Primary School offers a range of dance and keep fit classes for the local community outside school hours.
There are tennis courts at Cleeve Hill Tennis Club, Queensholm Park and Page Park. Football is also played at Queensholm Park, Blackhorse Lane, Blackhorse Road and Page Park.
Some nearby community spaces include Bromley Heath park, Victorian Page Park, Lincombe Barn, King George V playing fields, and the former Downend School lower site playing fields.
Downend is close to the Avon Ring Road Cycle Path and the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, which link up with the Avon Cycleway and the National Cycle Network.
The annual Guy Fawkes Night fireworks display is organised by the Downend Round Table.[3][4]
Location grid
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Hambrook | Winterbourne Down | Kendleshire | |
| Frenchay |  |
Emersons Green | ||
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| Fishponds | Staple Hill | Mangotsfield |
See also
References
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downend. |
- Downend School Website
- Stanbridge Primary School Website
- Downend Baptist Church
- Downend Christ Church
- Badminton Road Methodist Church
- Downend Christadelphian Church
- Rotary Club of Fishponds & Downend
- Downend Round Table
- Downend Flyers GFC and LFC
- Downend FC
- Downend & Bromley Heath Parish Council Website
- Downend Parish Magazine – August 1905
