Downton, a beautiful English Village on the edge of the New Forest

Our Village

Downton is a historic village situated in the valley of the River Avon, some 7 miles south of the Cathedral City of Salisbury. The village offers a good range of shops and services, including a public library, banking, post office, hairdressers and doctors surgery. In addition there is a leisure centre, several public houses and churches of various denominations. Downton has a primary school and a secondary school, with nearby Salisbury offering other independent, grammar and secondary education. Communications are good, via public transport or by car, to Salisbury, Ringwood and Bournemouth. Downton is just three miles from the boundary of the New Forest National Park with its many opportunities for walking and riding enthusiasts and also incredibly close to Cranborne Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The New Forest

Ancient woodlands, wild open heathlands and stretches of beautiful coastline. The New Forest National Park’s landscape is unique and includes the largest area of lowland heath in southern England, a rare habitat that once covered this part of the country. The New Forest is not a natural landscape though, it has been shaped over hundreds of years by people, by history and by the animals that still graze it today.

Cranborne Chase

Cranborne Chase is a nationally designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (“AONB”) and covers 380 square miles of countryside, overlapping the boundaries of Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset.

It is a diverse natural landscape with a rich archaeological and historical significance. Cranborne Chase offers areas of rare chalk grasslands, scientifically important ancient woodlands, and chalk escarpments. The downland hillsides and chalk river valleys have a distinct and recognisable character.