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SALISBURY ROAD

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.

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