The Downs are an area of public open limestone downland in Bristol, England. They consist of Durdham Down to the north and east and Clifton Down to the south. They are used for leisure, walking, team sports and sightseeing (especially at the Avon Gorge cliff edge).

A grey concrete water tower of 1954 stands on the Downs near the top of Blackboy Hill, with a long, low, covered reservoir alongside it.

Durdham Down

Durdham Down is the north and east part of the Downs, extending to Westbury Park and Henleaze, with an area of . They have been designated common land since the early 1970s by Bristol City Council.

Events

There are permanent football pitches, used by the Bristol Downs Football League. There are also temporary attractions on the Downs, such as circuses and (until 2006) the annual Bristol Flower Show. Since 2016 it has been the site of The Downs Festival, an annual music festival with both local and nationally known bands attending.

In 1982 6,000 people assembled on the Downs in response to a local newspaper advertisement placed by the makers of the new breakfast television show TV-am. The 6,000 people were used to make the words 'Good', 'Morning' and 'Britain', used for the opening titles of the show. It took 2 hours to get them into place and another 2 hours to shoot.

The Downs played a significant role in Jack Thorne's 2018 Channel 4 mini-series Kiri.

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Image:Clifton Down - The Observatory (750px).jpg|The Observatory on Clifton Down gives a dramatic view of the Avon Gorge

Image:Bristol cd 041004 kites.jpg|Kites on the Downs in early autumn

Image:Bristol, Avon Gorge from Clifton Down.jpg|The Avon Gorge from the Downs

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References

  • Bristol City Council page on the Downs
  • Photographs of the Downs air vents
  • Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project
  • Map of The Downs circa 1900
  • Minutes of the Downs Committee