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381:. Downley was originally within the 1890s civil parish of West Wycombe, however, in the 1930s West Wycombe village was incorporated into the Borough of High Wycombe and the remainder of the original civil West Wycombe Parish, which included Downley, became known as West Wycombe Rural Detached Parish. Due to Local Government reorganisation in the 1980s West Wycombe Rural Detached Parish was split into two civil Parishes, one of which was Downley Parish, the other being Piddington & Wheeler End. Downley was once three
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torch parade, where literally hundreds of people march up the common with tin can torches and throw then into the bonfire. Also there are two
Village fetes, one being Downley day and the other being the Jolities which is the older. Downley also claims a strong sporting heritage. With well established
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Downley has several local football teams ranging from junior side
Downley Dynamos all the way up to the oldest club in the village, Downley Albion Football Club formed in 1885. Both the Dynamos and Albion play home games at Downley Common and share the sports pavilion which is also used by the local
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The
Memorial Hall, also known as the Village Hall, in the High Street was built in 1923 and is still in use. The old School, built in the 1870s is also still in use. There were also furniture making factories in the village as well as home workshops; a practice which was common in the Chilterns as
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The oldest house in the village, Blacksmiths
Cottage is situated on the top end of the common, dates from the 12th or 13th century. The oldest pub in Downley is The Le De (not Lady) Spencers Arms at the very top of the common. It's known to the locals as the Lee Dee, The Shed or the Top Pub. The
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Something else that makes this common unusual is the way it has been changed by its industrial past. The biggest change in its landscape is the excavation of clay, chalk and flint from all over the common, this has left behind pits, called dells, some very large and deep. The reason the clay was
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385:, Downley was the largest, with Littleworth and Plummer's Green on its south side. Both of these have now been incorporated into Downley as a whole, but there are still names such as Littleworth Road and Plomer Hill. Plomer is a derivative from Plummer.
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At the top of the common next to the cricket pavilion there is a small but distinct
Blacksmiths Forge. This was still in use up until the early 1990s. Downley is also home to the rare starfruit flower which has been known to grow on Mannings Pond.
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Downley has a few interesting road names, such as "Bug Alley" which is now Moor Lane, Coffin Lane which is at the end of Moor Lane and leads to
Hughenden Church. Kiln Pond Lane, where apparently a horse and cart reputedly ran into the Kiln Pond.
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West
Wycombe estate still leaves its mark on Downley life, there is a large, regular shoot, mostly held on Saturdays during hunting season. This is managed by Cookshall Farm, which is in the parish at the very top end.
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Downley was once home to several farms, the largest of these stopped working in the 1990s but can be plainly seen from commonside with its huge barns and unusual listed farm house.
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The
Downley School (or TDS) is a combined school in Downley with 'Inadequate' (Ofsted), which teaches pupils from ages 4–11 (Years 1–6 in the British educational system).
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extracted is slightly vague but is most likely for making bricks and tiles. The smaller pits that are round, usually made on a boundary ditch are
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One of the few
Chiltern commons that has remained open in the area, rather than become wooded. The common was once part of an Anglo-Saxon
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The central part of the parish is the common, this extends over about 56 acres (23 ha). It is part of the
Chilterns
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Downley Common also plays host to a number of sports clubs, mainly Downley Cricket Club and Downley Albion Football Club.
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Downley was extensively built up in the 1950s-1960s and is still changing now, with the parish boundary being extended.
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building dates from the 17th century and was once a bakery. It is believed to have been a watering hole for
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Also noticeable, mainly in the woods are ancient parish boundaries. These once separated the land between
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cricket and football teams who use the cricket pitch and newly gained space next to Mannings field.
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and surrounding towns were large producers of furniture, in particular chairs from the
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The welfare of the common is maintained by the Downley Common Preservation Society.
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Archaeology of Downley Common - Local Heritage Initiative
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35:Blacksmiths Cottage, Downley, 2012
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1788:Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire
1762:Civil parishes in Buckinghamshire
1144:Great and Little Kimble cum Marsh
358:, England, which was included in
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573:. Office for National Statistics
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516:Downley traditions include the
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567:"Civil Parish population 2011"
415:"Downley" is derived from the
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644:Downley Albion Football Club
1783:Villages in Buckinghamshire
664:Downley Local History Group
458:and West Wycombe parishes.
89:OS grid reference
18:Human settlement in England
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1520:Piddington and Wheeler End
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1757:Places in Buckinghamshire
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1739:Great Marlow Constituency
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757:Beaconsfield Constituency
733:Unitary Council elections
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571:Neighbourhood Statistics
492:who passed through from
762:Buckingham Constituency
1716:Wycombe Rural District
938:Bledlow-cum-Saunderton
752:Aylesbury Constituency
659:Downley Parish Council
592:Hughenden Downley Walk
282:Downley Parish Council
195:Postcode district
123:Ceremonial county
105:Unitary authority
1711:Marlow Urban District
683:at Wikimedia Commons
654:Downley Memorial Hall
398:Industrial Revolution
924:Other civil parishes
767:Wycombe Constituency
173:Sovereign state
83:5,278 (2011 Census)
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508:Folklore and events
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1445:Longwick-cum-Ilmer
843:Princes Risborough
634:The Downley School
617:2011-07-08 at the
366:, overlooking the
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207:Dialling code
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1702:Former districts
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1016:Chepping Wycombe
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1686:Wooburn Green
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1656:Berghers Hill
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1484:Marlow Bottom
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1107:Fawley Bottom
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541:
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533:Football Club
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477:
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434:
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430:
427:("hill") and
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375:
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298:
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267:
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251:
250:South Central
248:
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239:
236:
234:
227:
226:Thames Valley
224:
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210:
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69:
48:
39:
32:
22:
16:
1793:High Wycombe
1704:and boroughs
1691:Wooburn Moor
1648:
1642:West Wycombe
1631:West Wycombe
1629:
1600:
1584:Stokenchurch
1563:Stokenchurch
1561:
1537:
1518:
1512:Rockwell End
1489:
1482:
1443:
1399:
1365:
1341:
1334:
1285:
1266:
1259:
1210:
1178:Great Marlow
1176:
1150:Great Kimble
1142:
1126:Green Hailey
1113:
1094:
1073:Ellesborough
1047:Ellesborough
1045:
1039:
1038:
1032:Tylers Green
1014:
995:
974:Rout's Green
936:
929:and hamlets)
841:
827:
790:High Wycombe
788:
781:and hamlets)
673:
607:
598:
587:
575:. Retrieved
570:
561:
550:
536:
528:
515:
511:
502:
486:
478:
475:
471:
463:World War II
460:
453:
445:
438:
428:
424:
423:("wood") or
420:
410:
402:
394:High Wycombe
390:
387:
376:
372:High Wycombe
352:civil parish
347:
346:
188:High Wycombe
15:
1545:Bennett End
1531:Wheeler End
1497:Bockmer End
1437:Winchbottom
1417:Handy Cross
1388:Moor Common
1349:Lacey Green
1343:Lacey Green
1313:Hunt's Hill
1293:Cryers Hill
1155:Kimble Wick
1131:Hampden Row
1008:Walters Ash
969:Pitch Green
964:Holly Green
959:Forty Green
889:Redland End
869:Loosley Row
835:Forty Green
801:Micklefield
577:19 November
417:Old English
333: /
81:2,244
1777:Categories
1671:Hawks Hill
1661:Bourne End
1574:Bolter End
1526:Piddington
1427:Sheepridge
1378:Ditchfield
1328:Widmer End
1298:Four Ashes
1199:Danesfield
1058:Chalkshire
979:Saunderton
954:Crownfield
884:North Dean
816:Totteridge
542:References
435:The Common
318:51°38′56″N
149:South East
78:Population
1666:Cores End
1507:Medmenham
1491:Medmenham
1451:Horsenden
1359:Wardrobes
1287:Hughenden
1261:Hazlemere
1233:Hambleden
1218:Colstrope
1212:Hambleden
1170:Smoky Row
1083:North Lee
1027:Loudwater
1003:Bradenham
997:Bradenham
904:Whiteleaf
456:Hughenden
400:onwards.
321:0°46′34″W
245:Ambulance
183:Post town
1618:Turville
1613:Southend
1608:Northend
1602:Turville
1594:Waterend
1555:The City
1476:Owlswick
1466:Longwick
1432:Well End
1393:Moor End
1383:Lane End
1367:Lane End
1253:Skirmett
1238:Mill End
1078:Nash Lee
1068:Dunsmore
811:Terriers
615:Archived
449:saw pits
96:SU845955
1681:Wooburn
1676:Widmoor
1650:Wooburn
1550:Radnage
1539:Radnage
1373:Cadmore
1336:Ibstone
1318:Naphill
1279:Widmoor
1243:Parmoor
1223:Fingest
1088:Terrick
1040:Downley
944:Bledlow
859:Cadsden
796:Cressex
681:Downley
525:Schools
490:drovers
483:History
461:During
441:tithing
413:toponym
407:Toponym
383:hamlets
348:Downley
302:England
278:Website
269:Wycombe
165:England
159:Country
60:Downley
24:Downley
1725:Former
1637:Booker
1471:Meadle
1274:Hedsor
1268:Hedsor
1228:Frieth
1102:Fawley
1096:Fawley
1063:Coombe
854:Askett
849:Alscot
829:Marlow
498:London
419:words
221:Police
141:Region
1456:Ilmer
1165:Marsh
894:Speen
806:Sands
776:Towns
494:Wales
211:01494
1412:Fern
579:2016
425:down
411:The
368:town
233:Fire
200:HP13
429:lea
421:dun
370:of
354:in
1779::
569:.
500:.
297:UK
709:e
702:t
695:v
581:.
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