Downham Market
Coordinates: 52°36′N 0°23′E / 52.60°N 0.39°E
| Downham Market | |
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 Downham Market
Downham Market shown within Norfolk |
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| Area | 5.20 km2 (2.01 sq mi) |
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| Population | 6,730 (2001 Census) |
| - Density | 1,294 /km2 (3,350 /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 |
Downham Market sometimes simply referred to as Downham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, some 20 km south of the town of King's Lynn, 60 km west of the city of Norwich and the same distance north of the city of Cambridge.[1]
The civil parish has an area of 5.2 km² and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,730 in 3,258 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.[2] 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.
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.
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Transport [edit]
Downham Market railway station, which serves the town, is on the Fen Line from London to King's Lynn.
Education [edit]
There are two primary schools in Downham Market: Hillcrest and Clackclose. The town has one High School, Downham Market High School and a sixth form college, Downham Market College.
Sport and leisure [edit]
Downham Market has a Non-League football club Downham Town F.C. who play at the Memorial Field.
Notable residents [edit]
- Isaac Casaubon (1559–1614), classical scholar and philologist, spent time in the town.
- 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 British Conservative Party politician.
- Father Oswald Baker (1915–2004), controversial Catholic priest, originally at St Dominic, Downham Market and later had his own chapel
- Jim Russell (born 1920) is an English former racing driver.
- Patrick Holman (1945-), cricketer, was born in the town.
References [edit]
- ^ 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.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Downham Market |
- Information from Genuki Norfolk on Downham Market.
- Downham Market Town Council
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