industry, with a tannery recorded as existing in the village in the 16th century. A new tannery, which became Downton Tanning Company Ltd, was built in the early 19th century. It made leather for harnesses and saddles until it closed in 1998. Its building has been converted into housing and retirement homes. Downton Business Centre, on the A338, is home to a variety of businesses, including: Hop Back Brewery, Revive Vending, Sytec, and Help for Heroes Trading. Hop Back first brewed its beer in 1986 at the Wyndham Arms in Salisbury. Six years later, the company moved to larger premises in Downton. As of 2010, Hop Back owned eleven public houses around the south of England. Nearby is the smaller Downton Brewery, established in 2003. Help for Heroes (H4H) is a charity that raises money to supplement existing government provision for injured members of the British Armed Forces. Transport The busy A338 Bournemouth to Oxfordshire road runs through the western side of the village. The village's main street, forming The Borough, High Street and Lode Hill, has been designated as the B3080 road to the New Forest. The Wilts & Dorset bus company runs its X3 route along the A338 on the western side of the village, with a half-hourly service north to Salisbury and south to Bournemouth. It also runs the more local routes 40 and 44 through the main part of village. Amenities Downton has a village hall (the Memorial Hall) and three pubs: the Bull Hotel, the Goat and the Wooden Spoon. Downton Leisure Centre (owned by the Brian Whitehead Sports Centre Association), in the eastern outskirts of Wick, provides sports and social facilities. It is the home of Downton F.C., who play in the Wessex Football League. Downton holds an annual village fête called the Cuckoo Fair on the Saturday nearest May Day. Originally a country fair where livestock would be traded and agricultural workers would seek employment, the fair was abandoned after the First World War. It was revived in its modern form in 1980 by Peter Waddington MBE. The origin of the name is unknown. The Avon Valley Path passes through Charlton, then crosses the river at Downton before turning southeast towards Hampshire. Before its connection to the national grid, Downton was supplied with electricity from a small local power station operated by the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). In 1958, the station comprised