Downham, Essex


Downham is a small village in Essex, England. It is located approximately south of the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the borough of Chelmsford and in the parliamentary constituency of Rayleigh. However, the closest two towns are Billericay, west-southwest, and Wickford, southeast.

History

There is evidence of Roman remains in the village suggesting it was originally of early Saxon origin, though it is not in the Domesday Book.
The parish church is dedicated to St Margaret. The oldest section of the church is a 10ft by 11ft square redbrick tower from the late 15th or early 16th century. However, Christians have been recorded as worshipping on the site for over one thousand years. The nave of the church was restored in the nineteenth century, using some material from an earlier building, and the interior was refurbished in the 1970s after a fire in March 1977. The village is home to the Downham Hall, which was once the home of the De Beauvoir family, the building which currently stands is smaller than the original 17th-century mansion.

Geography

Downham has approximately 200 households. The village has an elevation of above sea level, and the parish has an area of. The village is close to Hanningfield Reservoir, with its southwest bank being half a mile from the village centre.