Cotton End’s story
5 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Cotton End’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Cotton EndBedfordshire
With 826 residents, it is a village in Bedfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jeff Tomlinson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
826
Census 2021 · Bedford council
Median home
£325K
39 sales in 3 years
Median age
42.2
18% are 65+ · Bedfordshire 15%
Degree level
27%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Cotton End a good place to live?
There are no grades for Cotton End: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry nearly one in ten commuters. 5 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I.
What makes Cotton End stand out
The 2 things Cotton End does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cotton End.
Work & commute
Commuters in Cotton End travel far: only 20% go under 5 km, fewer than in both Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
9%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
There are 0.7 jobs in Cotton End for each resident in work. 88% of commuters drove, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). Unemployment benefit claims reached 4.5% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Of the commuters living here, 2% work in the town itself.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot4%
Bicycle2%
Bus1%
Train1%
20%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
29%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£65K
mean household income, before tax
4.5%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
The schools around Cotton End
Its one school is below. At the 4 primary schools within 3 km, 54% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton End Forest SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 435 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Private renting is less common in Cotton End than in Bedfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 12%
£325Kmedian sale
Social housing holds nearly a fifth of households, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Households that own their home make up 67%. The median sale, £325,000, comes from 39 standard sales inside Cotton End’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Cotton End£325K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | 8 |
| Semi-detached | £350,000 | 21 |
| Terraced | £280,000 | 8 |
67%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,173
average private rent a month, Bedford council area
£2,523
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Violent crime runs high in Cotton End: 29.1 per 1,000 residents a year, above Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
29.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Homes saw 6.9 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (10.4) and England’s towns (9.4). The 12 months to August 2026 brought 30 recorded crimes inside Cotton End’s built-up area, and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 77% of recorded crime.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual23
Public order2
Vehicle crime2
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Anti-social3
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
29.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
30
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Health
Bad health is less common in Cotton End than in Bedfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.3% of residents
83%good or very good health
Disability touches 18% of Cotton End’s population. Seeing a GP means leaving Cotton End: the nearest practice is 3 miles away. The nearest A&E to Cotton End is Bedford Hospital, 3.5 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Cotton End | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 15% | 17% |
79.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
Cotton End keeps more of its old housing than Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 19% built before 1919
5listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Scaled to its population, Cotton End has 61 listed buildings per 10,000 people, higher than both Bedfordshire’s towns (40) and England’s towns (39).
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II4
Among them · Grade II*
- Manor Farmhouse Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
61
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Fewer people in Cotton End hold a degree than in Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 27%
42.2median age
19% are under 15, below Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) but above England’s towns (18%). Aged 15 to 24: one in ten residents. Typical age in Cotton End: 42.2, the median.
Cotton EndBedfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
18%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level27%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Cotton End | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 18% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cotton End
13pages on Cotton End
The big questions
Safety29.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £325K · rent £1,173 a monthHousing13 sold in 12 months · busiest street High RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 79.8 (men), 84.3 (women)Work & commute46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Moot Hall and 4 more in and around Cotton End
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cotton End. Best known first.
MuseumMoot Hall3.8 km outside town, to the northwestHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustWillington Stables4.7 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustWillington Dovecote4.7 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionSummerfields' Miniature Railways2.4 km outside town, to the southeastZooZooEnglish School of Falconry300 m outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Moot Hall: Shritwod at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
About Cotton End
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Cotton End is a built-up area of 826 people, in the Bedford council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 826 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Bedford
- County
- Bedfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003717
Cotton End’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ShortstownWilsteadWixamsHoughton ConquestBedfordKempstonStewartbyCotton End
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton End | 826 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shortstown | 4,837 | 1.4 | C+ | B | C | C+ |
| Wilstead | 2,404 | 1.6 | — | C | A− | C+ |
| Wixams | 6,044 | 2.3 | C− | C+ | C− | B |
| Houghton Conquest | 1,867 | 3.3 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Bedford | 97,226 | 3.7 | C− | B | D | C− |
| Kempston | 22,779 | 3.8 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
| Stewartby | 2,546 | 4.2 | B− | B− | B− | B− |
Wilstead and Houghton Conquest have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Cotton End
How many listed buildings are there in Cotton End?
That is 2.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Cotton End?
Band D council tax in Cotton End is £2,523 for 2026–27, more than in 69% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Is Cotton End expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £325,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £280,000, semi-detached houses £350,000 and detached houses £452,500. Private rents in the Bedford council area averaged £1,173 a month in August 2026.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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.