Our Story and the History of our Green.
Ralph Bentley, a past President of the English Bowling Association, founded Downton Bowling Club in 1980 as a mixed club with the help of 53 villagers who each paid a £5 inauguration fee. The club’s first bowling green was on the playing field to the rear of the Downton Primary School.
The Club moved to Wick Lane in 1983 after securing a long lease from Downton Parish Council who in turn have an enduring lease with the Radnor Estate. It is said that the bowling green is on land which had originally been a chalk walled enclosure for sick farm animals.
Here are some photos of how the green has changed through the years starting from when it was first laid out in the late 1970’s.
