Downton

Downton
Location information
Location	Yorkshire, England
Owner	Robert Crawley Mary Talbot
Inhabitants	Nobility Violet Crawley Isobel Grey Richard Grey The Middle Sarah Bunting (formerly) Richard Clarkson Mrs Elcot Robbie Elcot William Molesley Greta Pegg Mrs Pegg Albert Travis Mrs Wigan Servants Gladys Denker Mrs Field Maley John Pegg Mrs Potter Septimus Spratt
Affiliation	Downton Abbey Downton Estate

Downton is a small (fictional) village in North Yorkshire, England.

Downton contains a post office, Bakewell’s village shop, four public houses (the Grantham Arms, The Dog and Duck, The Kings Arms and The Red Lion) and a railway station. There is also a Police Station, School and cottage hospital, the main doctor of which is Dr. Richard Clarkson. There is also a large church, Church of St. Michael of All Angels, with a cemetery beside it.

Located a few minutes walk from the village rests Downton Abbey, the seat of the Earl and Countess of Grantham and the latter and the former's main residence. Lord and Lady Grantham's two eldest daughters and two youngest grandchildren live at Downton Abbey.

In the village are also two mansions, the Dower House and Crawley House. The Dower House is the residence of Lord Grantham's mother, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Crawley House is the residence of Lord and Lady Merton, and was also the residence of Lady Merton's son Matthew Crawley until he moved to the Abbey following his marriage to Lord and Lady Grantham's eldest daughter (also Matthew Crawley's fourth cousin).

The village is located between the towns of Ripon and Thirsk. A signpost in Downton village shows that Thirsk is 6 miles in one direction, while Ripon is 9 miles in the other direction.^a

Known Locations

• Cemetery
• Downton Chemist Shop
• Cottage Hospital
• Crawley House
• The Dog and Duck
• Dower House
• Downton Abbey
• Downton Railway Station
• Downton School
• Grantham Arms
• Post Office
• St. Michael and All Angels Church
• Bakewell’s Village Shop
• Downton Police Station
• The King’s Arms
• Village Hall

Behind the scenes

• The village of Downton is depicted by Bampton, in Oxfordshire.
• There is no village of Downton in the real Yorkshire, but the Yorkshire press have attempted to find where it might be.

Notes

^a As Thirsk and Ripon are in fact 12 miles apart by road, it can be deduced that Downton must be off the direct route between the two.

OpenStreetMap data was modified to reflect the roads in 1920. Distances to all road junctions on the map by the shortest route were found from Thirsk and Ripon.

The most likely location for Downton is Eldmire, 5.6 miles from Thirsk and 9.2 miles from Ripon. Holme (6.7 and 8.9), Catton (5.7 and 8.4) and Dalton (5.1 and 9.2) are not quite as good a match. There are also possible locations in Sinderby.

Given the references to Easingwold, Eldmire in the south-east of the area is the best overall fit. There was a nearby station at Sessay on the North Eastern Railway to Kings Cross station in London. Neighbouring Dalton may have given rise to the name Downton.

The route from Eldmire to Thirsk turns north just before Topcliffe and passes Thorpefield; to Ripon it goes through Topcliffe and Rainton