Durdham Down

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Durdham Down is an area of public open space in Bristol. With its neighbour Clifton Down to the southwest, it constitutes a 400 acre area known as The Downs, much used for leisure including walking and team sports. Its exposed position makes it particularly suitable for kite flying.

The downs were created as a result of the Victorian-built houses fueling fears of the future of open space. Durdham Down was purchased from the Lords of the Manor of Henbury, which was originally used as rough pasture for grazing sheep. There were also lead-mines and stone-quarries, which account for the bumpy surface of some parts. At one time the area was a haunt of highwaymen and thieves, and a gibbet was erected opposite the end of Gallows Acre Lane (now known as Pembroke Road).

In the 19th century horse-races were held, especially at Easter, as well as wrestling and boxing contests and cricket matches. Nowadays the sporting tradition carries on with local football leagues playing on permanently laid out pitches.

There is noticeable contrast between various areas of the Downs - the clumps of scrubby hawthorns, the avenues of massive horse-chestnuts, the flat swathes of grass and the elegant bordering of Victorian houses.

The White Tree roundabout is an old and well-known junction on Durdham Down. The tree was apparently painted white to help a local resident find his way home when drunk. The original white tree was cut down during the 1970s outbreak of Dutch elm disease; a replacement tree is now painted white.

The "Seven Sisters" are a group of pine trees on Durdham Down. A number of the trees have been lost over the years - notably in a 1990 storm - leaving three survivors. Replacement trees in the group have been vandalised, so an entirely new group of seven has been planted nearby.