Workhouse End’s story
11 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Workhouse End’s built-up area.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Workhouse EndBedfordshire
Mortgage-free owners make up 47% of households. Population 343: a village in Bedfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: M J Richardson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
343
Census 2021 · Bedford council
Median age
50.8
25% are 65+ · Bedfordshire 15%
Degree level
34%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
4%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Workhouse End a good place to live?
There are no grades for Workhouse 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 4% of commuters. 11 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I.
What makes Workhouse End stand out
The 3 things Workhouse End does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
4% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 13.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Own outright
Housing
47% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Workhouse End.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Workhouse End: just 25% travel under 5 km, below Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The average household earns £66K a year before tax. The car took 94% of commuters, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). What’s more, the census counted 39% of workers working mainly from home. 2% of commuters who live in Workhouse End also work there.
4%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
On foot2%
Bicycle2%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
39%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£66K
mean household income, before tax
3.1%
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
Housing
More households own their home in Workhouse End than in Bedfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 82%
Private renters make up 16% of households, below both Bedfordshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%). The social rented sector houses 1% of households. That is the middle of 7 standard sales inside Workhouse End’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Workhouse End£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £537,500 | 6 |
82%
of households own their home · England 61%
16%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,173
average private rent a month, Bedford council area
£2,453
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 low in Workhouse End: 12.6 per 1,000 residents a year, under Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
45% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 11 crimes and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Workhouse End’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 3.9 reports per 1,000, lower than both Bedfordshire’s towns (10.2) and England’s towns (7.8).
12.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Robbery1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
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.
12.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
11
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
Good or very good health: 82% of Workhouse End’s residents
Seeing a GP means leaving Workhouse End: the nearest practice is 1.7 miles away. At the census, 4.1% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. 16% of residents have a disability, between Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (17%).
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Workhouse End | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.1% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
80.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More buildings in Workhouse End are listed than in Bedfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 321 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes built before 1919 account for 9% of the housing.
11listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II11
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
9%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
321
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
Children make up only 12% of Workhouse End, fewer than in Bedfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
Ages in Workhouse End split evenly at 50.8: half are older, half younger. A quarter of residents are 65 or over, above both Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Among adults, 34% have a degree.
50.8median age
Workhouse EndBedfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar23%
Degree level34%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 110 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Workhouse End | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 23% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →John Bunyan museum and 4 more in and around Workhouse End
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Workhouse End. Best known first.
MuseumJohn Bunyan museum5 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseMoggerhanger House4.7 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumPanacea Museum4.9 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustWillington Dovecote2.1 km outside town, to the southHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustWillington Stables2.2 km 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 (3)
- John Bunyan museum: Simon Speed, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Moggerhanger House: John Brightley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Panacea Museum: Paul Harrop, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Workhouse End
12pages on Workhouse End
The big questions
Workhouse End’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Great BarfordBlunhamBedfordShortstownClaphamSandyKempstonWorkhouse End
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workhouse End | 343 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Great Barford | 2,254 | 1.7 | — | C+ | B+ | B |
| Blunham | 1,391 | 3 | — | B− | D− | B |
| Bedford | 97,226 | 3.2 | C− | B | D | C− |
| Shortstown | 4,837 | 3.6 | C+ | B | C | C+ |
| Clapham | 4,502 | 4.6 | B | B+ | B | B |
| Sandy | 11,375 | 4.7 | C+ | A− | C | C |
| Kempston | 22,779 | 5.3 | C | B+ | C− | C− |
Great Barford and Blunham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Workhouse End
How many listed buildings are there in Workhouse End?
That is 13.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Workhouse End?
Band D council tax in Workhouse End is £2,453 for 2026–27, more than in 52% 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.
About Workhouse End
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Workhouse End is a built-up area of 343 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
- 343 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Bedford
- County
- Bedfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003548
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.