Downham Market

Downham Market

Downham Market Downham Market shown within Norfolk
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	King's Lynn and West Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DOWNHAM MARKET
Postcode district	PE38
Dialling code	01366
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	South West Norfolk
List of places UK England Norfolk

Coordinates: 52°36′N 0°23′E / 52.60°N 0.39°E / 52.60; 0.39

Downham Market sometimes simply referred to as Downham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, some 11 miles south of King's Lynn, 39 miles west of Norwich and 30 miles north of Cambridge.^[2]

The civil parish has an area of 5.2 km² and in the 2011 census had a population of 9,994 in 4,637 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.^[3] It is part of South West Norfolk parliamentary constituency.

It 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 its butter market and also hosted a notable horse fair. The market is now held Fridays and Saturdays on the town hall car park.

Notable buildings in the town include its mediaeval parish church, dedicated to St Edmund, and Victorian clock tower, constructed in 1878. The town is also known as the place where Charles I hid after the Battle of Naseby. In 2004 the town completed a regeneration project on the Market Place, moving the market to the town hall car park. The decorative town sign depicts the crown and arrows of St Edmund with horses to show the importance of the horse fairs in the town's history.

Governance

The electoral ward of Downham Market exists but covers a lesser area than that of the parish. The population of this ward taken at the 2011 Census was 7,988.^[4]

Transport

Downham Market railway station

Downham Market railway station, which serves the town, is on the Fen Line from London to King's Lynn.

The town’s signal box is one of the five rare examples across the region to have been granted Grade II listed status in 2013. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has awarded listed status to 26 signal boxes across the country as part of a joint project between Network Rail and English Heritage to secure the nation’s railway signalling heritage. Downham’s signal box was built in 1881 for the Great Eastern Railway Company but will soon be decommissioned as part of a 30-year modernisation project.

Education

There are two primary schools in Downham Market; Nelson Academy, which has a nursery for children aged 3-5, and Hillcrest Primary School. The town has one secondary school, Downham Market Academy which includes a sixth form.

Sport and leisure

Downham Market Leisure Centre is located on Bexwell Road. A Non-League football club Downham Town F.C. play at the Memorial Field.

Notable residents

George William Manby (1765–1854), inventor of a lifesaving rocket and the first modern form of fire extinguisher, was educated in the town.
George Henry Dashwood (1801–1869), antiquary, was born in the town.
Golding Bird (1814 – 1854), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, became an authority on kidney diseases.
William Hayes Fisher, 1st Baron Downham PC, KStJ (1853–1920), was a Conservative Party politician.
Father Oswald Baker (1915–2004), controversial Catholic priest, originally at St Dominic's, Downham Market and later had his own chapel.
Jim Russell (1920–) is an English former racing driver.
Patrick Holman (1945–), cricketer, was born in the town.
Richard Murphy (1958–), political economist.
Elizabeth Truss (1975–), Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as of July 2014.^[5]

References

↑ "Town population 2011". Retrieved 26 August 2015.
↑ Ordnance Survey (1999). OS Explorer Map 236 – King's Lynn, Downham Market & Swaffham. ISBN 0-319-21867-8.
↑ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes. Retrieved December 2, 2005.
↑ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
↑ Truss, Liz. "About Liz Truss". Retrieved 16 July 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downham Market.

Information from Genuki Norfolk on Downham Market.
Downham Market Town Council

Ceremonial county of Norfolk

Boroughs or districts	Breckland Broadland Great Yarmouth King's Lynn and West Norfolk North Norfolk Norwich South Norfolk

Major settlements	Acle Attleborough Aylsham Cromer Dereham Diss Downham Market Fakenham Great Yarmouth Hingham Holt Hunstanton King's Lynn Loddon North Walsham Norwich Redenhall with Harleston Reepham Sheringham Sprowston Stalham Swaffham Thetford Thorpe St Andrew Watton Wells-next-the-Sea Wymondham See also: List of civil parishes in Norfolk

Topics	Parliamentary constituencies Places SSSIs Country houses Grade I listed buildings Grade II* listed buildings History Lost settlements Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs Schools Museums Windmills

River Great Ouse, England

Counties	Northamptonshire Buckinghamshire Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Norfolk

Flows into	The Wash

Towns (upstream to downstream)	Brackley Buckingham Old Stratford Milton Keynes (Stony Stratford Wolverton New Bradwell) Newport Pagnell Olney Kempston Bedford St Neots Godmanchester Huntingdon St Ives Ely Littleport Downham Market King's Lynn

Major tributaries (upstream to downstream by confluence)	River Tove River Ouzel (or Lovat) River Ivel River Kym Old Bedford River New Bedford River River Cam River Lark River Little Ouse River Wissey

Major bridges (upstream to downstream)	Harrold bridge A428 Turvey bridge A428 Bromham bypass A6 Bedford Town Bridge A421 Bedford bypass Great Barford Bridge A428 Bridge St Neots St Neots Town Bridge Godmanchester Chinese Bridge A14 bridge, River Great Ouse Huntingdon Old Bridge St Ives Bridge

Longest UK rivers Severn Thames Trent Great Ouse Wye Ure/Ouse Tay Spey Clyde Tweed Avon Nene Eden Dee

Civil parishes of King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Anmer Bagthorpe with Barmer Barton Bendish Barwick Bawsey Bircham Boughton Brancaster Burnham Market Burnham Norton Burnham Overy Burnham Thorpe Castle Acre Castle Rising Choseley Clenchwarton Congham Crimplesham Denver Dersingham Docking Downham Market Downham West East Rudham East Walton East Winch Emneth Feltwell Fincham Flitcham with Appleton Fordham Fring Gayton Great Massingham Grimston Harpley Heacham Hilgay Hillington Hockwold cum Wilton Holme-next-the-Sea Houghton Hunstanton Ingoldisthorpe Leziate Little Massingham Marham Marshland St James Methwold Middleton Nordelph North Creake North Runcton Northwold North Wootton Old Hunstanton Outwell Pentney Ringstead Roydon Runcton Holme Ryston Sandringham Sedgeford Shernborne Shouldham Shouldham Thorpe Snettisham South Creake Southery South Wootton Stanhoe Stoke Ferry Stow Bardolph Stradsett Syderstone Terrington St Clement Terrington St John Thornham Tilney All Saints Tilney St Lawrence Titchwell Tottenhill Upwell Walpole Walpole Cross Keys Walpole Highway Walsoken Watlington Welney Wereham West Acre West Dereham West Rudham West Walton West Winch Wiggenhall St Germans Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen Wimbotsham Wormegay Wretton

See also South Norfolk Great Yarmouth Broadland North Norfolk King's Lynn and West Norfolk Breckland

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