Down Ampney was notable in medieval times as one of the seats of the powerful :Category:Hungerford family|Hungerford family, whose principal family seat was at Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset). The Down Ampney estate later passed from the Hungerford family to the Earls of St German.
Vaughan Williams
The Old Vicarage in Down Ampney was the birthplace of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1872, whose father, the Reverend Arthur Vaughan Williams was vicar of All Saints. In 1906, Ralph Vaughan Williams composed a tune for the hymn "Come Down, O Love Divine" which he titled "Down Ampney" in honour of his birthplace.
All Saints' Church is an ancient building that was founded by the Knights Templar in 1265. It lies on the edge of the village; its peripheral location was brought about when the centre of the village shifted north due to the effects of the bubonic plague. Its prominent spire dates from the 14th century, although much of the church fabric seen today is the product of Victorian restoration work carried out in 1863. The church contains a number of elaborate monuments to the Hungerford family, including a 1637 Renaissance-style monument to Sir John and Sir Anthony Hungerford. Among the medieval memorials are two recumbent effigy tombs of Sir Nicholas de Valers and Lady Margaret de Valers. The wooden fittings in the church, including the pulpit, reredos, and rood screen were designed in 1898 by Charles Ponting. Another screen in the north transept screen dates from 1900 and incorporating painted Jacobean panels displaying the coat of arms of Sir Anthony Hungerford. Today the church is a Grade I listed building. There is also a 20th-century stained-glass window in commemoration of the planes that flew from the airfield for the Battle of Arnhem in 1944. The church holds an annual Arnhem Service in memory of the wartime operation. Another stained-glass is dedicated to the memory of Rev, Arthur Vaughan Williams who is buried in the churchyard. The church featured in the 2017 Channel 4television programmePenelope Keith's Hidden Villages.
Amenities
Aside from the airfield, a school older than 150 years, a multi-use games area for younger residents, a tennis club, a village hall, a small village shop, and the church mentioned above, which evidently dates back to before the bubonic plague, are also present in the current arrangement of the village. The Down Ampney estate, comprising almost all of the farm land in the parish, is now owned by the Co-operative Group.
