Story
What's it all about?
Downton is located on the Herefordshire / Shropshire border, not far from the historic market town of Ludlow. The hamlet centres on Downton Castle, a private residence built in 1778 by the ironmaster Richard Payne Knight (1751-1824), adjoining the picturesque landscape of Downton Gorge.
This rural area is rich in history, and more recently the landscape has inspired writers such as children’s author Malcolm Saville (1901-1982) who set 'The Secret of the Gorge', one of his Lone Pine adventures here, and Tom Sharpe (1928-2013) who used the gorge as a backdrop to his satirical novel, 'Blott on the Landscape'.
St Giles’ Church at Downton was built in 1861 and today, like many rural churches with dwindling congregations, responsibility for the upkeep falls on the shoulders of a few stalwart volunteers who work tirelessly to support the upkeep of an aging building, for the benefit of the local community.
As such, the church is in urgent need of financial support to keep the fabric of the building safe and preserved for future generations. Perhaps like me, you appreciate the church building not so much as a place of worship, but as an important community space and as a valuable part of our local history and architectural heritage?
Whether your interest is religious, historical, architectural or quite simply community minded, will you help me to raise much needed funds to preserve this important building, please?
How you can help…
1) Please take part in our charity auction – I’ve donated a copy of a new ‘privately printed’ hardback book to fundraise for the church. Just a dozen copies of this premium high-quality book have been printed for ‘friends and family’, and I’m making a single copy of the book available to purchase through eBay. The 10-day auction will take place on eBay between 1-10 August 2025 and 100% of the final selling price of the book will be donated towards the upkeep of St. Giles’ Church at Downton. Why not put the date in your diary now?
2) Please show your support by making a donation today – if books are not your thing, or if during the course of the auction the bidding exceeds your limit, why not also show your support by making a donation through this JustGiving page, please – any donation you can kindly spare (large or small) would be much appreciated, and will help to preserve this wonderful building for future generations.
3) Last but by no means least, can you help to spread the word about this fundraising campaign, simply by sharing the web page link with your friends and family - anyone you know who might genuinely be interested in helping to support us with our fundraising, please. You will find various buttons at the bottom of the donations page to help you spread the word!
How you can take part in the auction... 1-10 August 2025
Simply return to this JustGiving page between 1–10 August 2025 and we will publish the auction link. Click the link to go straight to the auction, or during that same time period, visit www.ebay.co.uk and search for ‘Church Lodge’. Why not put a note in your diary today?
What’s on offer?
'Church Lodge – Downton: Portrait of a Property Renovation'
I first visited Downton in 1993, and over the next few years was privileged to witness from a distance, a period of change that saw the renovation of many Downton Estate properties - including Church Lodge that stands close to the church at Downton. Over the past 30+ years, I have researched and written extensively about the local area.
This new ‘privately printed’ book of my contemporary and previously unpublished photographs, captures the renovation of Church Lodge at Downton, during the 1990s. The book has been privately printed, and is NOT available to purchase through bookshops. This is a ONE-TIME LIMITED OFFER for you to purchase a single copy of what is an incredibly rare local-interest book.
- Summary: A ‘coffee-table’, photo-book style publication, with ‘professional’ typesetting throughout. The book includes a Foreword, an Introduction and a full-colour location map, but aside from short captions throughout, it is the exterior photos showing Church Lodge before, during and after renovation that are the main focus of the book, providing the portrait of a property renovation. There are three additional appendices of related interest.
- Format: Hardback book with glossy, full-colour dust-wrapper
- Printing: Full-colour printing throughout, using Premium Lustre paper
- Dimensions: 21cm x 25cm (Height x Width) – standard landscape format
- Page Count: 32 pages
- Price: This will be determined by auction bidding, and 100% of the final selling price will be donated to St. Giles’ Church at Downton.
Q&A
1) Why can't I order this book through a normal bookshop?
Due to the niche topic and high production costs of the book, unfortunately it is not commercially viable to make the publication available through traditional bookshops or trade outlets.
2) Why is only a single copy of the book being made available?
The book has been created as a ‘private printing’ for a handful of ‘friends and family’, but a copy has been donated for auction to raise much needed funds for the upkeep of St. Giles’ Church at Downton.
3) Will the book be available to purchase in bookshops or online?
No – the book will not be available – that is to say, unless someone who purchases one of the very limited number of books subsequently offers their book for sale as a ‘second-hand book’, at some stage in the future.
Don't forget this is a limited offer... bidding closes on 10 August 2025
Thanks for reading this listing and for your interest in 'Church Lodge – Downton: Portrait of a Property Renovation'. Please remember, as a ‘privately printed’ publication, only a dozen copies have been printed for ‘friends and family’. The author is making a single copy of the book available to purchase through eBay – 100% of the final selling price will be donated towards the upkeep of St. Giles’ Church at Downton.