Notable buildings in the town include its medieval parish church, dedicated to St Edmund, and the Victorian clock tower, constructed in 1878.

For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

[6] In February 2022, eight town councillors, including the mayor Jenny Groom, resigned over claims of bullying.

Before the arrival of the railway in 1846, the riverside was largely agricultural with warehousing for river transport centred on the Great Ouse at Downham West.

Made of cast iron, the clock was originally bronzed and relieved on the prominent parts with gold.

In 2005, Evelyn Irene Murrell, who died in 1918,[11] a member of the WRAF was belatedly added to the list of names.

The memorial bears the crown-and-arrows symbol of the town and of the martyred King St Edmund of East Anglia to whom the church is dedicated.

Downham Market is sometimes known as the "Gingerbread Town" because of the characteristic local carrstone used for buildings since medieval times.

[citation needed] St Edmund's Church is a good example of this and is Downham's only Grade I listed building.

[12] The Old Court House, located on London Road, was where the magistrates dispensed justice in the Clackclose Hundred from 1861.

In May 1816 it was the scene of riots when the magistrates were besieged by angry, starving agricultural labourers demanding a living wage of two shillings a day and the release of poachers.

[20] The town is served by Downham Market railway station, which is on the Fen Line between London and King's Lynn.

The town signal box is one of five rare examples across the region to have been granted Grade II listed status in 2013.

The Great Ouse Relief Channel was made navigable in 2001, when the Environment Agency constructed a lock at Denver to provide access.

Teaching is shared between two sites, with the main Bexwell campus housing pupils years 7–11 (ages 11–16) and the Downham Market Academy Sixth Form (formerly Downham Market College) campus offering A-levels to sixth form pupils years 12–13 (ages 16–18).

[29][30] It is also possible to receive reception from the Belmont transmitter which broadcasts BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and ITV Yorkshire,[31] and the Waltham TV transmitter that broadcast BBC East Midlands and ITV Central.

[34] Newspapers covering the town include the Lynn News,[35] Your Local Paper[36] and the Eastern Daily Press[37] The War Memorial Playing Fields includes a children's playground, tennis courts and a multi-purpose sports court.

The Downham Market Heritage Centre includes interactive displays focused on local history.

The centre includes free Wi-Fi, an internet café and research facilities with small library.