The Downs, Bristol facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Downs |
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| Type | public open space |
| Location | Bristol, England |
| Area | 412 acres (1.7 km2) |
| Status | open all year |
The Downs are a big, open green space in Bristol, England. It's a public area where everyone can go to relax and have fun. The Downs are made up of two main parts: Durdham Down in the north and east, and Clifton Down in the south. A road called Stoke Road separates these two areas.
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Exploring Durdham Down
Durdham Down is the part of The Downs located towards the north and east. It stretches out to areas like Westbury Park and Henleaze. This section of The Downs is quite large, covering about 85 hectares (which is like 210 football fields!). Bristol City Council owns Durdham Down. They manage it for all the people of Bristol to enjoy.
Discovering Clifton Down
Clifton Down is the part of The Downs found to the southwest of Stoke Road. It sits between Sneyd Park and Clifton, and it goes all the way to the edge of the amazing Avon Gorge. Clifton Down is also very big, about 82 hectares in size. This part of The Downs is owned by a group called the Society of Merchant Venturers.
How The Downs Are Looked After
Since 1861, The Downs have been managed as one big area. This happened after Bristol City Council (which was called Bristol Corporation back then) bought Durdham Down. A special group called the Downs Committee looks after both parts. This committee includes people from the city council and the Merchant Venturers. Since the 1970s, The Downs have been known as "common land." This means it's a shared space for everyone to use.
Fun Things to Do on The Downs
The Downs are a popular place for many activities! People love to visit for:
- Relaxing and enjoying the fresh air.
- Going for walks and exploring the open space.
- Playing team sports, like football. The Bristol Downs Football League uses permanent pitches here.
- Enjoying the views, especially from the cliff edge overlooking the Avon Gorge.
Sometimes, there are also special events on The Downs. For example, circuses have visited, and until 2006, there was an annual Bristol Flower Show. Since 2016, The Downs have hosted The Downs Festival. This is a yearly music festival where both local and famous bands perform.
You might also spot a grey concrete water tower on The Downs, built in 1954. It's near the top of Blackboy Hill. Next to it, there's a long, low, covered reservoir that holds water.
A Special TV Moment
In 1982, something really cool happened on The Downs! About 6,000 people gathered there. They had seen an advertisement in a local newspaper from the makers of a new morning TV show called TV-am. These 6,000 people were arranged to form the giant words 'Good', 'Morning', and 'Britain'. These words were then used in the opening video for the TV show. It took two hours to get everyone into position and another two hours to film it!
The Downs in Stories
The Downs were also an important setting in a TV mini-series called Kiri. This show was created by Jack Thorne and shown on Channel 4 in 2018.
Gallery
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The Observatory on Clifton Down gives a dramatic view of the Avon Gorge
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Kites on the Downs in early autumn
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The Avon Gorge from the Downs
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