The Downs, Bristol
| The Downs | |
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This tower on the Downs conceals a ventilation shaft for the railway tunnel below
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| Type | public open space |
| Location | Bristol, England |
| Coordinates | 51°28′N 2°38′W / 51.47°N 2.63°WCoordinates: 51°28′N 2°38′W / 51.47°N 2.63°W |
| Area | 441 acres (1.78 km2) |
| Status | open all year |
The Downs are an area of public open limestone downland in Bristol, England. They consist of Durdham Down to the northeast, and the generally more picturesque and visited Clifton Down to the southwest.
Durdham Down is the part of the Downs northeast of Stoke Road, extending to Westbury Park and Henleaze. It is owned by Bristol City Council for the benefit of the people of Bristol.
Clifton Down is the part of the Downs southwest of Stoke Road, between Sneyd Park and Clifton and extending to the edge of the Avon Gorge. It is owned by the Society of Merchant Venturers.
Since an Act of Parliament in 1861, when Bristol Corporation acquired Durdham Down, the Downs have been managed as a single unit by the Downs Committee, a joint committee of the corporation and the Merchant Venturers.
They are used for leisure, walking, team sports and sightseeing (especially at the Avon Gorge cliff edge). There are permanent football pitches, used by the Bristol Downs Football League, the lowest tier any club has ever joined in order to be promoted to the Premier League. There are also temporary attractions on the Downs, such as circuses and the annual Bristol Flower Show.
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.
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