Search the Site
Create a Site
Read the News
Whats On
The above logo was that of the Downton Engineering Company.
EAST SIDE (from junction with Long Close)
Kitagawa
Skinner and Osment and David Hart Engineering previously operated from this site. Prior to that it was occupied by Downton Engineering Works Limited during the 1960s and 1970s.
Wilton Wholefoods/Sunrize Foods
Moore Bros (to rear of above)
Car access to 3663 (to rear of above)
The main access is in Batten Road.
Vacant Industrial Building
- Here are the junctions with Batten Road and Scotts Close (Roundabout) -
The industrial estate is built on what were once Mr Parker's strawberry fields.
404 New Court Farm Cottages
403 New Court Farm Cotttages
Newcourt and Newcourt Farmhouse (accessed via track)
A grade II* listed building - listed as a pair.
Listing description: Pair of semi-
detached houses. Late C17. English
bond brick with limestone quoins,
tiled roofs, brick stacks with toothed
capping. H-plan; each house is T-plan.
Newcourt Farmhouse to east has 2-
storey, basement and attic, 4-window
front. Central half-glazed door in
bolection-moulded case with open
segmental pediment and recessed
chamfered side-lights, to right is one
2-light recessed chamfered mullioned
window and to left are two mullioned
windows; all with flat arches. First
floor moulded string course and four
recessed chamfered mullioned windows;
all with leaded lights. Basement has 2-
light mullioned windows and chamfered
doorcase, moulded plinth. Attic has
four hipped dormers with 2-light
leaded casements. Coped verges with
kneelers. Right return has 2-light
mullioned windows with some blocked to
attic. Left return has external stack
with offsets, 2-light mullioned
windows with some blocked. Central
linking range of 'H' has C19 4-
panelled door with tiled canopy to
front with 2-light mullioned windows
to basement, ground and first floor,
basement has chamfered doorcase to
left and blocked door below C19 door,
string, courses and a straight joint
down centre. Rear of centre range has
C20 extension to ground floor and C20
casements to first floor. Newcourt to
west has 2-storey with basement and
attic, 6-window front. Central planked
and studded door in bolection-moulded
case with open segmental pediment,
chamfered side-lights and C19 gabled
porch, to either side are 9-pane
sashes in chamfered cases. First floor
has string course and five 2-light
mullioned windows. Basement has
similar windows. Attic has two C19
gabled dormers. Right return has plate
glass sashes and mullioned windows.
Left return has mullioned windows.
Interior of Newcourt has newel stairs
with original turned balusters and
fine plank and muntin partition rising
to first floor, chamfered beams with
ogee stops. Newcourt Farmhouse has
chamfered beams with ogee, step and
runout stops throughout, chamfered
stone fireplace and blocked fireplace
with continuous chamfer. Stairs with
vase balusters, partly boxed-in by
fine plank and muntin partition,
planked doors with wooden latches to
attic. The detail of stairs and
partitioning closely resembles that at
The Courthouse.
The following buildings at Newcourt are grade II listed buildings in their own right:
Stable and attached wall to south west
of Newcourt and Newcourt Farmhouse
Listing description: Stables, now
stores. Early C17, rebuilt C19. Flint
and brick with limestone quoins,
rebuilt in English bond brick, tiled
roof. 4-bay. One storey and attic.
Front has stable door and 2-light
casement with fixed window to left.
Rear has planked stable door and two
segmental-arched windows, loft door
has hipped gablet. Interior has brick
partitions to ground floor, studded
partition to upper floor, wooden loose
boxes with fittings such as feed
troughs. Roof has two collars per
truss with clasped purlins and
windbracing. Attached to south west
barn.
Barn to south west of Newcourt and
Newcourt Farmhouse
Listing description: Barn. Mid C19.
English bond plinth with
weatherboarding on timber-frame, tiled
roof. 4-bays. Sliding corrugated iron
doors to west side, planked door in
chamfered case to left with 3-light
casements. East side has pivot-hung
window. Roof trusses have cranked tie-
beams with raking struts to principals
and collars, two tiers of purlins with
windbracing to upper tier. Attached at
northern end to stable.
Cowshed and attached implement store
to south east of Newcourt and Newcourt
Farmhouse
Listing description: Cowshed. Early
C17 with C20 alterations. Flint and
brick with moulded limestone plinth,
tiled roof. One storey with loft, 6-
window. North side has two C19 gablets
with planked loft doors in chamfered
cases. South side has six stable doors
and C20 windows, wall rebuilt in
Flemish bond. Interior has chamfered
beams with step and runout stops, west
wall has blocked chamfered mullioned
window, now an interior wall between
cowshed and attached implement store.
The latter being a C18 4-bay single
storey building, now used as stores;
English bond brick with vitrified
headers and tiled roof, rear has
double planked doors and C20 metal
windows. Roof with tie-beam, collar
raking struts to collar.
Additionally the Granary at Newcourt was formerly a grade II listed building. Former listing description: A large granary on staddlestones, C.17, brick, timber framed upper part, old tile roof, double entrances.
PEVSNER (referring to 'Court Farmhouse'): ‘H-shaped, of brick, with two-light windows, late C17. It is odd that both arms of the H have to the outside, i.e. in their long walls, a centre doorway with amply moulded surround and open segmental pediment. Flint and brick barn, nine bays long, with aisles. In a bad state of repair (in 1975)’.
Until the 15th Century the New Court area was known as Walton, from Weala Tun, the Saxon for ‘Farm For Slaves’. The first New Court was built c1415 as a manor house. In 1651 the property was sold to Sir Joseph Ashe, a wealthy London merchant, for £11000. He invested a further £2000 for improvements to the adjoining water meadows (see entry under New Court Water Meadows, The Borough).
It is said that during the English Civil War, Royalist soldiers under the command of Sir Thomas Hooper camped in the Great Barn at New Court.
Former occupiers: Edward Main; R J Read; Montague Egremont (1935); Desmond S Chichester (1964); Longford Farms Ltd (1953-1964).
WEST SIDE (from junction with Wick Lane)
White House
Former occupiers: Mrs M Egremont (1960s).
Little Grove
Magnolias
The Laurels
Former occupiers: John Parker (Poultry Farmer) (1930s-1960s).
Downlands
There was formerly a hut here, used by Frank and Edwin Ditum as a battery charging station from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Longford Service Station
New House Cottage
Former occupiers: Mr Barter; Mrs R Batt (1960s).
Scotts House
Formerly known as New House.
Former occupiers: Robert J Read (1930s); Mrs R J Read (1950s).
Down Acre
1 White Cottages
2 White Cottages
Downside
Former Occupiers: Henry Gurd (1930s).
1 Alma Cottages
Former occupiers: Mrs Maull (1930s); Mrs E M Light (1950s-1960s).
2 Alma Cottages
Former occupiers: Ernest Bailey (Milkman) (1930s-1950s).
Barnfield
Former occupiers: Don Young.
The Hamlet
Former occupiers: Robert Read junior (1930s); Peter Read (1960s).
Peter Read was renowned for collecting old newspaper and other scrap around Downton, Salisbury and all points in between, in a trailer attached to his bicycle. He then stored it in a purpose built outbuilding at the house. He could also often be seen taking his morning wash in the Avon.
New Court Down Barn
New Court Down Farm Cottages
FEATURES ON DOWNS TO WEST SIDE OF SALISBURY ROAD
Clearbury Ring
The parish boundary between Downton and Odstock runs through Clearbury Ring.
PEVSNER: 'On a knoll prominently marked by a clump of trees. A small univallate Iron Age hill-fort of 5 acres'.
The fort is said to have a connection with Cerdic and the West Saxons victory over the Romano-Britons at Charford (Cerdic’s Ford).
The Giants Chair
A Bronze Age round barrow or tumulus.
The Giants Grave
A Neolithic long barrow or burial mound.
Graphic version of this page