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The famous cricketer William Gilbert Grace was born in Downend House (now Gracefields Nursing Home) in 1848.  

in a mosaic above the shops, and Downend Cricket Club play on the WG Grace Memorial Ground, two acres bought from the sale of the Cave estate in 1920.

was used as a war hospital in World War I, where local Red Cross and St John Ambulance units looked after 1,343 troops.

was recorded here as far back as 1228, reaching its peak in the late 1800s. One local mine owner, William Player, became very wealthy and lived in the large country estate, Cleve Hill House, in the 17th century.

have not changed much sice medieval times. In the 1700s-1800s people travelling by horse-drawn carriages would stop and rest at local inns, relying on blacksmiths, wheelwrights, ironworkers and timber yards.

There are still several old farms and farm buildings here, including 16th century Langley Arms, Lincombe Barn, probably built around 1750, and Baugh and Vinney Green Farmhouses, which both date from the late 1800s

In World War II people served as ARP (Air Raid Precaution) Wardens in the local stations. Whenever the air raid sirens sounded, they patrolled the area enforcing blackouts, rescuing people and putting out  fires.

Downend has always welcomed a variety of diverse religions, as well as agnostics and atheists. Almost 800 people were buried in a Quaker Burial Ground here  between 1657 and the late 1800s.

Downend has the only public Boy Scout Memorial in Britain, erected in 1921 in memory of members of the 1st Downend Scout Troop who lost their lives in World War I.