It is off the A417 which runs between Cirencester and Faringdon (in Oxfordshire) on the A420, and about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Cricklade, which is on the A419 which runs from Cirencester to Swindon, Wiltshire.
The Old Vicarage in Down Ampney was the birthplace in 1872 of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose father, the Reverend Arthur Vaughan Williams (1834–1875), was vicar of All Saints. In 1906 the composer wrote a tune for the hymn "Come Down, O Love Divine" which he titled "Down Ampney" in honour of his birthplace.[4][5]
All Saints' Church is an ancient building that was founded by the Knights Hospitaller[9] in 1265. It lies on the edge of the village; its peripheral location was brought about when the centre of the village shifted north due to the effects of the bubonic plague.[3][7]
Its prominent spire dates from the 14th century, although much of the church fabric seen today is the product of Victorian restoration work carried out in 1863.
The church contains a number of elaborate monuments to the Hungerford family,[3] including a 1637 Renaissance-style monument to Sir John and Sir Anthony Hungerford.
Among the medieval memorials are two recumbent effigy tombs of Sir Nicholas de Valers (d.1300) and Lady Margaret de Valers (d.1320). The wooden fittings in the church, including the pulpit, reredos, and rood screen were designed in 1898 by Charles Ponting. Another screen in the north transept screen dates from 1900 and incorporating painted Jacobean panels displaying the coat of arms of Sir Anthony Hungerford. Today the church is a Grade I listed building. [10] There is also a 20th-century stained-glass window in commemoration of 271 Sqn and the R.A.S.C who flew in the Dakota aircraft from the airfield for the Battle of Arnhem in 1944. The church holds an annual Arnhem Service in memory of the wartime operation.[3] Another stained-glass is dedicated to the memory of Rev, Arthur Vaughan Williams who is buried in the churchyard.[5]
In addition to the church and the airfield, the village has a school which is more than 150 years old, a multi-use games area for younger residents, a tennis club, a village hall and a small village shop.[citation needed]
The Down Ampney estate, comprising almost all of the farm land in the parish, is now owned by the Co-operative Group.[11]
Ampney Brook
East House
War memorial
Arnhem memorial window, All Saints' Church
The Old Vicarage, birthplace of Ralph Vaughan Williams
^ Herde, Peter (2007). "The Dispute between the Hospitallers and the Bishop of Worcester about the Church of Down Ampney. An Unpublished Letter of Justice of Pope John XXI (1276)". In Karl Borchardt, Nikolas Jaspert and Helen J. Nicholson (ed.). The Hospitallers, the Mediterranean and Europe. Festschrift for Anthony Luttrell. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-6275-4. p. 48.
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