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Historic Towns & Picturesque Villages

Orford Cottages

Orford

a Seaside Town in the county of Suffolk

Cobham, Surrey

Cobham

in the county of Surrey

St David's

Pembroke

in the county of Pembrokeshire

Pictures of Downe

in the county of Greater London

About Downe

Part of the urban sprawl that is Greater London contains amid the muddle of vast acres of concrete, little gems from the past that continue to enthrall and fascinate. Such a place is Downe, an almost secluded village on the ridge of the North Downs. In common with most of this region the history of Downe reaches down the centuries to the days of the Romans and William the Conqueror. Roman remains have been found here, and close to nearby Biggin Hill is Caesors Well, the source of the Ravensbourne River.

Most of the houses and cottages in Downe are built of flint and it is here that you will find the interesting home of the great Victorian Naturalist, Charles Darwin. Down House, mainly of 18th-century build, was Charles Darwin's home for 40 years until his death in 1882. It is an pleasant house to visit and shows many relics from Darwin's life and times.

Other places of note in the area are nearby Biggin Hill Airfield and Chislehurst Caves - a vast cavernous area where prehistoric fossils and Druid alter remains can be seen. These caves hid Royalists during the Civil War and in the last century were used as air-raid shelters.

Recommended towns & villages near Downe

Titsey Place

Oxted (14 Pictures) in the county of Surrey

(6.1 miles, 9.7 km, direction SW of Downe)

A walk around the village reveals a riot of attractive 17th and 18th century cottages all standing on a rise surrounded by pretty flower-filled gardens...

Severndroog Castle, Eltham

Eltham (37 Pictures) in the county of Greater London

(8.0 miles, 12.9 km, direction N of Downe)

The attractive suburb of Eltham is part of the urban sprawl of Greater London...

Taken in Greenwich, standing by the Observatory looking down over the hill.

Greenwich (331 Pictures) in the county of Greater London

(10.5 miles, 16.9 km, direction N of Downe)

The might of british sea-power and the historic town of Greenwich are inseparable. Two famous English sea-faring vessels are here, one is the Cutty Sark, a famous old clipper that shipped tea from China in the 19th-century, and the other, from the 20th-century is Gypsy Moth 1V, sailed round the world by Sir Francis Chichester...

Chiddingstone

Chiddingstone (46 Pictures) a Picturesque Village in the county of Kent

(10.7 miles, 17.3 km, direction S of Downe)

Fascinating village, owned by the National Trust which is crammed with beautiful properties from the 16th and 17th-century probably built with iron-industry money...

Ingress Abbey

Greenhithe (16 Pictures) in the county of Kent

(12.6 miles, 20.3 km, direction NE of Downe)

Greenhithe is an area of Kent found sandwiched between the River Thames and Watling...

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Nearby attractions..

Down House, home of Charles Darwin, Kent.  Now owned by English Heritage.

Down House (36 Pictures)

(0.5 miles, 0.8 km)

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Blue bell bank, Emmetts Garden, Kent

Emmetts Garden (86 Pictures)

(6.2 miles, 10.0 km, direction SE)

This must be the most perfectly positioned of all the gardens in the care of the National Trust. It occupies a majestic hill-top.....

Lullingstone Roman Villa, Kent.

Lullingstone Roman Villa (17 Pictures)

(6.4 miles, 10.3 km, direction NE)

The remarkable remains of Lullingstone Roman Villa lay hidden for centuries, and were only revealed in excavations of 1939. Prior.....

Chartwell- The home of Sir Winston Churchill. Kent

Chartwell (53 Pictures)

(6.4 miles, 10.3 km, direction S)

The home of Sir Winston Churchill, from 1924 until his death. Churchill purchased it for its magnificent views across the weald.....

Eynsford Castle, Eynsford, Kent

Eynsford Castle (10 Pictures)

(7.0 miles, 11.3 km, direction NE)

The ruinous walls of Eynsford Castle in parts stand 30ft high, they are a relic of one of the earliest stone enclosure castles.....

Eltham Palace

Eltham Palace (115 Pictures)

(7.7 miles, 12.3 km, direction N)

Once a favoured medieval palace and then a Tudor royal residence, Eltham Palace was transformed into a striking Art Deco mansion.....

Knole House

Knole House & Deer Park (64 Pictures)

(8.3 miles, 13.4 km, direction SE)

This is one of England's most glorious houses. Set as it is in the midst of a magnificent park studded with ancient trees, the.....


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