Downend, South Gloucestershire

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A mural of W. G. Grace in Downend

Downend - a suburb of Bristol in South Gloucestershire, England is located to the North East of Bristol and bordered by the Bristol City suburb of Fishponds to its south west and the South Gloucestershire suburbs of Staple Hill to the south and Frenchay to the west. You can find the town on Google Earth with the coordinates N 51 29 16 W 2 30 15.

The outward expansion of Downend dating from the 1980s has been contained by the presence of the M4 motorway which swings around the northern side of Bristol. Downend has little industry within its boundaries, consisting mainly of domestic housing and local shopping facilities. A welcome development since 2003 is the opening of several premises as independently owned restaurants, allowing residents to eat out locally and a designer clothes store. Downend has its fair share of parks including The King George V Playing Fields, and there is also a local cricket club located in the centre of Downend. Secondary and primary schools based in Downend include Downend School (a comprehensive), Bromley Heath Junior and Infant schools and Christ Church Primary and Junior schools. There are a few local churches although the closest are Downend Baptist Church on Salisbury Road and the Christ Church on Downend Road. Badminton Road Methodist Church, between Downend and the Avon Ring Road, serves the newer housing alongside Badminton Road and in the Bromley Heath area.

Downend's greatest claim to fame is that the cricketer W. G. Grace was born in the village, and played cricket at Downend Cricket Club. Sarah Dallin and Keren Woodward, members of the band Bananarama, also grew up in Downend. The rock band New Rhodes also lived in Downend for a short time.

The woods near Downend were the site of an air crash on 6th November 1957, when a prototype Bristol Britannia aircraft crashed killing the 15 man crew.

1 Sport and Recreation
2 Famous Residents
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Sport and Recreation

Downend has a King George's Field in memorial to King George V, the playing fields are used for Football during the football season and Cricket in the summer months.

Downend School features the majority of the area's sports facilities, on the school's site there is a Sports Centre, Sports Hall, Changing + shower areas and a Gymnasium. The school has an all-weather football pitch which is hired out regularly for football training by local teams, Netball, Basketball and Nine Tennis Courts , Cricket nets and long jump pits. There are also tennis courts at Cleeve Hill Tennis Club, Queensholm Park and Page Park. Football is also played at Queensholm Park, Blackhorse Lane, Blackhorse Road and Page Park.

Downend is close to the Avon Ring Road Cycle Path and the Bristol-Bath Railway Path, which link up with the Avon Cycleway and the National Cycle Network.

[edit] Famous Residents

James Ward - a session musician playing drums on records of highly recognised artists. In recent years he has began touring with bands across North America.

Darth Vader - Character from Star Wars.

Monty Panesar - Cricketer, began his career with Downend.

Mohammed Al-Fayed - Multi millionaire still lives on Badminton Road

The Yorkshire Ripper - Buried just outside Somerfield.

Rick Astley - Was Born in king George V playing fields July, 1969. Began music career under guidance of Miss Elderton and mananged by Miss Pollard

The Dalai Lama - Currently employee of the month at Motorman

HIV raiding rat Roberto - Located in the 45th holly bush along Westerleigh Road

Ian Huntley - Lived in Bromley Heath

Nelson Mandela - Imprisoned just over the road from Dibdons

Dean Marney (footballer) - Footballer

Michael Jackson - The famed eccentric pop singer located himself in the town for a short while between 2005 and 2006, nearby the local Stanbridge Primary School. By coincedence, the house in which he had chosen had a good view of the Primary School's playground facilities, lending itself penis in hand to the singers interests.

Alex Curran - The fiance of Liverpool captain and England vice captain, Steven Gerrard has been known to make regular visits to Downend demanding sexual intercourse with many of the male students who attend Downend Secondary School, due to the inadequate size of the famous footballers penis, a woeful 2 inches.