Downham
Downham in the Ribble Valley of Lancashire is one of the most perfectly preserved estate villages in England, a settlement of stone cottages on the southern slopes of Pendle Hill whose combination of the complete absence of television aerials, satellite dishes or any modern visual intrusion, the ancient stocks on the village green, the Hall and the Church and the extraordinary backdrop of Pendle Hill creates a scene of English village life so complete in its historical character that it has been used as a film location for numerous period productions. The Assheton family have owned the village for over five hundred years and their care of its character has preserved it in a way that planning alone cannot achieve.
The village's appearance is the result of the long-term investment by successive owners in the maintenance and improvement of the cottages while systematically excluding the intrusions that have compromised the visual character of most comparable villages. The result is a settlement that appears to exist outside normal time, the absence of the visual markers of contemporary life creating an atmosphere of historical completeness that is entirely genuine rather than manufactured.
The village is closely associated with the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, one of the most celebrated witch trials in English history, in which several women from the surrounding area were hanged following accusations of witchcraft. The Assheton family featured prominently in the trials and the village's connection to this episode of Lancashire history provides a darker dimension to what might otherwise appear too picture-perfect a destination.