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{{Use British English|date=August 2015}}
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{{infobox UK place
| static_image_name        = George and Dragon public house, Downe - geograph.org.uk - 1718861.jpg
| static_image_caption     = George and Dragon public house, Downe
| country                  = England
| map_type                 = Greater London
| region                   = London
| population               =
| official_name            = Downe
| constituency_westminster = [[Orpington (UK Parliament constituency)|Orpington]]
| post_town                = ORPINGTON
| postcode_area            = BR
| postcode_district        = BR6
| london_borough           = Bromley
| dial_code                = 01689
| os_grid_reference        = TQ435615
| coordinates              = {{coord|51.3359|0.0535|display=inline,title}} 
}}
[[File:Southwest View of the Church of Saint Mary, Downe (03).jpg|thumb|right|The medieval Church of Saint Mary in Downe]]

'''Downe''', formerly '''Down''' ({{IPAc-en|d|aʊ|n}}), is a village in [[Greater London]], England, located within the [[London Borough of Bromley]], which formed part of [[History of Kent|the historical county of Kent]] until 1965, and is beyond London's contiguous urban area. [[Charles Darwin]] lived in [[Down House]] for forty years until his death in 1882.

Downe is {{convert|3.4|mi|km}} south west of [[Orpington]] and {{convert|14.2|mi|km}} south east of [[Charing Cross]]. Downe lies on a low ridge (an outlier of the [[North Downs]]), and much of the centre of the village is unchanged{{clarify|date=September 2024}}{{Fix|text=unchanged from what?}}; the former village school now acts as the village hall. 

The word Downe originates from the Anglo Saxon word ''dūn'', latterly ''down'', hence the South and North Downs. 

In April 1965, much of [[Orpington Urban District]], including Downe, was transferred from the [[historic counties of England|historic county]] of Kent and placed within the newly created London Borough of Bromley.

==Brief history==

Lord Simon de [[Manning]], a former Lord of the Manor of nearby [[Kevington, London|Kevington]], then in Kent, and holder of the land which now includes Downe, was a grandson of Rudolph de Manning, [[Count Palatine]], who married Elgida, aunt of King [[Harold I]], of England; he was the royal [[Standard Bearer]] to King [[Richard the Lionheart]], who carried the Royal Standard to Jerusalem in 1190, during the [[First Crusade]]. In England, the forms Earl [[Palatine]] and Palatine Earldom are preferred.

As well as Downe, Kevington Manor then included the areas which later became [[Berry's Green]], [[Luxted]], [[Single Street]], [[Westerham]] Hill, and [[Leaves Green]]. These (excluding Kevington), together formed the [[Darwin (ward)]], Greater London's largest electoral ward), as it was first constituted in 1965. The current elected political party's website (2022), states that the ward includes Cudham, Leaves Green, Leavesden Estate, Westerham Hill, Beechwood, Berry's Green, and Pratts Bottom.

The spelling of the name of the village varied in the past, until the 1870s it was most commonly "Down", then "Downe’ became more usual.<ref name="Letter no. 3368">{{cite web | title=Letter no. 3368, Ellen Frances Lubbock to Emma Darwin (January 1862), footnote 3 | website=Darwin Correspondence Project | date=24 November 2024 | url=https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3368.xml | access-date=24 November 2024}}</ref>
In postal directories of the mid-19th century, it is named as Down.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.30136353 |title=Post Office Directory of Essex, Herts, Kent ... , 1855. [Part 1: Counties & Localities] |publisher=Kelly and Co. |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.30136032 |title=Melville & Co.'s Directory of Kent, 1858 |publisher=Melville & Co. |language=English}}</ref> By 1882 Kelly's Directory was using "Downe".<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.30136269 |title=Kelly's Directory of Kent, 1882 |publisher=Kelly & Co. |language=English}}</ref>

==Darwin==
[[Charles Darwin]] lived in [[Down House]] for 40 years, from 1842 until he died there in 1882. [[Sir John Lubbock, 3rd Baronet]], lived nearby at his [[High Elms Country Park|High Elms estate]] on the other side of the village, and Darwin soon became a close friend and colleague  of Lubbock's son, who from 1865 was [[John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury|the 4th Baronet]], and from 1901 1st Baron Avebury. A favourite place of Darwin's was [[Downe Bank]], now a [[Nature Reserve|nature reserve]] and [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] together with High Elms Country Park, and several members of Darwin's family are buried in the graveyard of [[St Mary's Church, Downe|St Mary's Church]].

Down House and the surrounding area has been nominated by the [[Department of Culture, Media and Sport]] to become a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite news | title = UK launches Darwin heritage bid | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7860107.stm | publisher = BBC News | date=2009-01-30 | access-date=2010-05-01}}</ref>  However, this decision has been deferred.<ref>{{cite news | title = Darwin's home and workplace World Heritage nomination deferred by UNESCO Committee | url = http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/7331.aspx | publisher = Department for Culture, Media and Sport | date=2010-08-01 | access-date=2011-09-09}}</ref>

==Local politics==

Since 2019, the local Member of Parliament has been [[Gareth Bacon]] of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party.]] In the 2017 General Election, with a majority of 19,453 votes (38.5%),{{contradict-inline|reason=38.5% may have been a plurality, but is by definition not a majority|date=December 2024}} [[Orpington (UK Parliament constituency)|Orpington]] was the safest Conservative Parliamentary seat in London.

One councillor is elected every four years to [[Bromley London Borough Council]]. To date, the Darwin ward has only been represented by representatives from the Conservative Party. It is the largest Greater London ward, and includes [[Berry's Green]], [[Single Street]], [[Luxted]], [[Leaves Green]], Westerham Hill, and [[Cudham]].

{{Election box begin |title=Darwin ward 2018}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
  |party      = Conservative Party (UK)
  |candidate  = Richard Scoates
  |votes      = 1,201
  |percentage = 72.8
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Labour Party (UK)
  |candidate  = Frank Evans
  |votes      = 185
  |percentage = 11.2
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Liberal Democrats (UK)
  |candidate  = Millicent Scott Brooks
  |votes      = 133
  |percentage = 8.1
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
  |party      = Green Party of England and Wales
  |candidate  = Jan Wilson
  |votes      = 130
  |percentage = 7.9
  |change     = 
}}
{{Election box turnout
   |votes      = 1,649
   |percentage = 40.0
   |change     = 
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
  |winner     = Conservative Party (UK)
  |swing      = 
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=Darwin ward 2014 (1)}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
 |party      = Conservative Party (UK)
 |candidate  = Richard Scoates 
 |votes      = 987
 |percentage = 51.2 
 |change     = 
}}
 {{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party      = UK Independence Party 
 |candidate  = Eric Hayward 
 |votes      = 681 
 |percentage = 35.3
 |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party      = Labour Party (UK) 
 |candidate  = John Evans 
 |votes      = 105 
 |percentage = 5.4 
 |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party      = Green Party of England and Wales
 |candidate  = Eileen Galloway 
 |votes      = 89
 |percentage =  4.6
 |change     = 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party      = Liberal Democrats (UK)
 |candidate  = William Ritchie 
 |votes      = 45
 |percentage = 2.3
  |change     =
}}
{{Election box majority|
 |votes      =  306
 |percentage =  
 |change     = 
}}
{{Election box turnout|
 |votes      =  1,927
 |percentage = 
 |change     = 
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
 |winner = Conservative Party (UK)
 |swing = 
}}
{{Election box end}}

==Buckston Browne Farm==
[[File:Buckston Browne Farm, Downe Kent.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Buckston Browne Farm]]
Downe is the location of Buckston Browne Farm, built in 1931 as a surgical research centre by the [[Royal College of Surgeons of England|Royal College of Surgeons]] (RCS). In the 1980s, the farm caused controversy because of its use of [[vivisection]] techniques, and in August 1984 it was raided by [[Animal Liberation Leagues|anti-vivisection activists]].

The farm has now been made into four houses.
{{-}}
==Scouting==
There are two scout campsites in the Downe area:

* The [[Downe Scout Activity Centre]] consisting of {{convert|86|acre|m2}} of woodland and open fields is just outside the village.
* The [[Greenwich]] (one of the Districts of the [[Scouting in Greater London#Greater London South Scout County|Greater London South Scout county]]) District campsite is also nearby.

==Transport==
[[File:Bus 146 in Downe 2.jpg|thumb|Bus route 146 outside [[St Mary's Church, Downe|St Mary's Church]]]]
The closest [[National Rail]] stations to Downe are at {{stnlnk|Orpington}} and {{stnlnk|Hayes}}, located 4.5 and 4.7 miles away respectively.

The village is served by [[London Buses]] routes [[London Buses route 146|146]] and [[London Buses route R8|R8]] which provide connections to [[Bromley]], [[Orpington]] and [[Biggin Hill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490006159E/downe-church?|title=Buses from Downe|work=[[Transport for London]]|access-date=6 September 2024}}</ref>

==Notable people==

*[[Eric William Hunter Christie|Bill Hunter Christie]] (1922–97), lobbyist for the Falkland Islanders<ref>{{cite web |last1=Christie |first1=Merle |title=CHRISTIE, ERIC WILLIAM HUNTER (Bill) |url=https://www.falklandsbiographies.org/biographies/111 |website=Dictionary of Falklands Biography |access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
*[[Charles Darwin]] (1809–82), biologist, naturalist and geologist
*[[Horace Darwin]] (1851–1928), civil engineer and Fellow of [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
* [[Nigel Farage]] (born 1964), former leader of [[UKIP]] and Member of [[European Parliament]] for [[South East England]]. 
*[[Charles Hayes (mathematician)|Charles Hayes]] (1678–1760), mathematician and chronologist
*[[Sir John Lubbock, 3rd Baronet|John Lubbock]] (1803–65), banker, barrister, mathematician and astronomer
*[[John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury|John Lubbock]] (1834–1913), banker, biologist, archaeologist and [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] politician
*[[Mark Lubbock]] (1898–1986), conductor and composer of operetta and light music
*[[Herbert Newton Casson]] (1869–1951), journalist and author, founder of ''Efficiency'' magazine
*[[Olive Willis]] (1877–1964), founder of [[Downe House School]]

==Nearest places==
*[[Cudham]]
*[[Berry's Green]]
*[[Luxted]]
*[[Single Street]]
*[[Farnborough, London|Farnborough]]
*[[Keston]]
*[[Orpington]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Downe}}
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/places/villages/audiotours.shtml Audio tour of Downe and Down House]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041029112041/http://www.kentwildlife.org.uk/reserves/shortreserves.htm Downe Bank Nature Reserve]
*[http://www.darwinatdowne.co.uk Darwin at Downe - World Heritage Site nomination]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20220330100401/http://www.sdtg.co.uk/ Homepage of Stage Door Theatre Group, Downe]

{{LB Bromley}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Areas of London]]
[[Category:Districts of the London Borough of Bromley]]
[[Category:Villages in the London Borough of Bromley]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in the London Borough of Bromley]]