Downton is a village and civil parish on the River Avon in southern Wiltshire, England, about 6 miles (10 km) southeast of the city of Salisbury.

The parish is on the county boundary with Hampshire and is close to the New Forest; it includes the villages of Wick and Charlton-All-Saints, and the small ancient settlement of Witherington.

Wick lies on the opposite bank, and is linked to Charlton by the A338 Poole–Oxfordshire road, which accompanies the river north–south through the parish.

Downton can trace its ancient inhabitants to Neolithic, Iron Age, Roman and Saxon times.

Evidence of Neolithic occupation was found at Downton in 1956–7 during archaeological excavations in advance of a housing development.

[5] The ancient parish of Downton covered a large area, extending north to Nunton and southeast beyond Redlynch as far as Hamptworth.

Downton was probably the principal village in the 7th and 8th centuries, and became important as the centre of the manor belonging to the Bishop of Winchester.

[11] The manor house at Standlynch was built in 1733 for Sir Peter Vandeput and extended in 1766 by Henry Dawkins, plantation owner and Member of Parliament.

The artist John Constable visited Downton in 1820, and his sketch of the Avon with the church in the background is held in the British Museum.

[12] In 1836, a time of continued agricultural hardship, the parish sponsored an emigration of more than 200 of its poor people to Upper Canada for opportunities there; they sailed in April 1836 on the ship King William.

[16] Nunton (with Bodenham) and Standlynch) became civil parishes in the 19th century, then as the population grew and churches were built, Downton was reduced in size.

Finally, in 1934 Standlynch and Charlton were reunited with Downton, and Morgan's Vale and Woodfalls were added to Redlynch.

In 1999 a community project, The Downton Millennial Book Fund, published an illustrated history of the village from its ancient days.

[24] A Roman Catholic chapel of the Good Shepherd was founded in 1914 at Barford Lane, at the northern edge of Downton, on land given by the Nelsons.

For centuries, villagers maintained reed beds for harvesting materials to make baskets, trays and wicker furniture.

[30] Along with the neighbouring parishes of Odstock, Britford and Coombe Bissett, Downton parish is part of the ward of Downton & Ebble Valley for elections to the unitary authority of Wiltshire Council,[31][32] which has the wider responsibility for providing services such as education, refuse collection, and tourism.

Notable MPs included Blessed John Story, an English Roman Catholic martyr, later beatified by Pope Leo XIII; Sir Carew Raleigh, elder brother of Sir Walter Raleigh; Robert 'Bonnie Bobby Shafto', the subject of a popular folk song; and the poet Robert Southey, who was elected without his knowledge and declined to take his seat.

For instance, in the early 1900s, craftsmen still maintained reed beds in the river for their materials to make baskets and furniture.

[36] Help for Heroes (H4H) is a charity that raises money to supplement existing government provision for injured members of the British Armed Forces.

The Wilts & Dorset bus company runs its X3 route along the A338 on the western side of the village, with a half-hourly service north to Salisbury and south to Bournemouth.

Downton holds an annual village fête called the Cuckoo Fair[38] on the Saturday nearest May Day.

[40] The Avon Valley Path passes through Charlton, then crosses the river at Downton before turning southeast towards Hampshire.

In 1958, the station comprised a 35-kilowatt (47-shaft-horsepower) water turbine driven by the River Avon and an 82-kilowatt (111-metric-horsepower; 110-brake-horsepower) diesel engine plant.