Worth the trip from Downham: Barleylands Farm Museum, 5.2 km off
Nothing to visit is mapped inside Downham’s built-up area, but 3 places are within 5 km of its edge. The mix takes in a museum, a wildlife park and a zoo. Travel 39 km and you reach Royal Observatory Greenwich.
Around Downham: where to begin
Next to Barleylands Farm Museum, the best known are a wildlife park and a zoo.
MuseumBarleylands Farm Museum5 km outside town, to the southwestWildlife parkWildlife parkBarleylands Farm Park4.8 km outside town, to the southwestZooZooImperial Birds of Prey Academy4.9 km outside town, to the southwestEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The layout
Of the 3 nearby, most are to the southwest.
The dashed line is Downham’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
By kind
The biggest group is zoos, theme parks or other days out, with 2 of the 3.
Green: inside Downham. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
Every one of them
Nothing is inside Downham itself; these 3 are within 5 km of its edge.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
2 listed buildings are on Downham’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Downham →
A drive away
The 12 days out are led by Royal Observatory Greenwich, 39 km away.
CathedralChelmsford Cathedral11 km north
Big drawMuseumNational Maritime Museum39 km southwest · 2.4M visitors a year
MuseumCutty Sark39 km southwest
Castle · English HeritageRochester Castle28 km south
CathedralRochester Cathedral28 km south
MuseumQueen's House39 km southwest
Historic houseHylands House9 km northwest
Castle · English HeritageHadleigh Castle13 km southeast
CathedralBrentwood Cathedral13 km west
Historic housePalace of Beaulieu14 km north
Castle · English HeritageUpnor Castle26 km southPlaces well known beyond Downham (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Practical questions about Downham
What is there to see near Downham?
No attraction is mapped inside Downham itself. Within 5 km of it are Barleylands Farm Museum, Barleylands Farm Park and Imperial Birds of Prey Academy.
Does Downham have a museum?
1 museum or gallery is in or within 5 km of Downham: Barleylands Farm Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Downham?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Rochester Castle (English Heritage), 28 km south.
What are the best-known days out near Downham?
Within 40 km: Royal Observatory Greenwich (39 km), Chelmsford Cathedral (11 km), National Maritime Museum (39 km), Cutty Sark (39 km).
Where are Downham’s historic buildings listed?
Downham has 2 listed buildings. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Downham when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (12)
- Barleylands Farm Museum: John Winfield, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chelmsford Cathedral: The original uploader was Petepetepete at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Maritime Museum: Katie Chan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cutty Sark: Krzysztof Belczyński from Warsaw, POLAND, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rochester Cathedral: Raggatt2000, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Queen's House: Vladimír Procházka, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hylands House: Graham Pearce, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hadleigh Castle: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brentwood Cathedral: Brentwood_Cathedral_-_Rfry.jpg: Rhyddfrydol derivative work: Rabanus Flavus, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Palace of Beaulieu: Amaibrown, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Upnor Castle: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.