A picturesque UK village has captured the hearts of visitors for appearing to have been “frozen in time”, with holidaymakers feeling as if they’ve just wandered out of a time machine when walking the quaint country lanes.

Downham, Lancashire, which has a population of only 156, has been owned by the Assheton family since the 1500s.

The cobbled-street village is found in the Ribble Valley and the quiet spot appears to have rejected all the markers of modern life.

TV aerials, electricity cables and even road signs are nowhere to be seen.

Despite the absence of aerials, the village has been popular with TV crews looking for an idyllic filming location. For example, scary thriller The Secret of Crickley Hall, starring Suranne Jones, was filmed in Downham.

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@sandymakessense Calling all UK countryside fans ������ This is beautiful Lancashire in Northern England and you absolutely must put a visit on your UK travel itinerary ������ Here are some of the best things to do,places to stay, places to eat at and things to see in Lancashire UK: Where to stay: ������ We stayed at the cosy and affordable Mercure Dunkenhalgh and got our recommendations from their lovely in-house local expert Neil! ������ Things to do: ������️ Spend some time in Downham, the UK’s only village frozen in time & make sure to try the local ice cream ������ Explore the Harry Potter esque bookshop Halewood and Sons ������‍♀️ Walk the Pendle sculpture trail ������ Listen to the singing ringing tree ������ See Whalley Abbey ������️ Find Hatch Brook waterfall (plan some time it’s a long walk) ������️ Visit haunted Samelsbury Hall ������️ See the art Haworth Art Gallery ������ Catch the east Lancashire Railway steam train from Ramsbottom (timings on website) ������‍♀️ Spend an afternoon at the Mercure Dunkenhalgh in-house spa What to eat: ������ Try the UK’s only Fish and Chips drive through at Bannys ������ Try the beer & eat at Bowland Brewery ☕️ Visit the cosy tearoom Puddle Ducks Tearoom������ Eat a traditional pub lunch at the Clog and Billycog #placestoseeinengland #uktravelblogger #ukplacestovisit #ukplaces #visitengland #visituk #lancashire #traveluk #visitlancashire #placestovisituk #placestoseeuk #englandtravel #englandtrip #ukbestplaces #uktravelinspiration #uktravelideas ♬ In The Forest (Acoustic Indie No Copyright) – Instrumental – Lesfm & Olexy

The community has a peculiar property ownership policy, with none of the residents owning their own place.

The Assheton family, which has been responsible for the village for the last 500 years, own the village and its surrounding estate. The family rents the cottages to those that want to be part of the community.

But locals aren’t the only ones that enjoy the tranquil countryside, with tourists visiting Downham on a regular basis.

Even TikTok stars have made the trip to the north west of England. Social media sensation Sandy Breitmeier visited the village, posting a video about her stay on the Chinese-run app.

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She said the place was “frozen in time”, adding: “This region is home to a sleepy village frozen in time as there are no road signs or TV satellites anywhere to be found.

“It is also home to many mystical places, such as the eerie Pendle Sculpture trail, the haunted Samlesbury Hall or the Harry Potter-esque bookshop Halewood and sons.”

The video has been viewed nearly 270,000 times and shows the gorgeous chocolate box village in all its glory.

Locals are loving the publicity, with ice cream seller Michelle Brown, telling the Manchester Evening News: “It’s so unspoilt here, there’s not many villages like this. If you took all the cars away you’d half expect to see a horse and trap on the streets.

“It’s just a lovely little village and we get lots of visitors here who say it’s so beautiful, yet you’ve got a bustling town like Clitheroe less than 10 minutes away.”

Locals took to the comment section of the TikTok clip to heap praise on Sandy, saying: “I live in Pendle. Good on ya for promoting our amazing area.”

Another said: “A lot of people say Britain is plain but honestly it’s so beautiful.”

A third chimed in: “I’m from the ribble valley! lovely place and lots of cool stuff to see”.

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