Great Shefford’s story
15 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Great Shefford’s built-up area.
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Great SheffordBerkshire
Population 949: a village in Berkshire, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Bernd Jatzwauk Pommes104 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
949
Census 2021 · West Berkshire council
Median home
£333K
28 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.5
22% are 65+ · Berkshire 15%
Degree level
36%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Great Shefford a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Great Shefford has no grades; its figures are still real. 8% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 15 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. Over-65s are 22% of the population.
What makes Great Shefford stand out
The 3 things Great Shefford does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 Grade II*, including Church of St Mary; 6.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
22% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Great Shefford.
Who lives here
Great Shefford has fewer young adults than Berkshire’s towns or England’s towns: 8.8% are 15 to 24
Retirement age and beyond: 22% of residents are 65 or older. 16% are under 15, lower than both Berkshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). Line up the people of Great Shefford by age and the one in the middle is 48.5. Among adults, 36% have a degree.
48.5median age
Great SheffordBerkshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Great Shefford | Berkshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 40% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Berkshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Great Shefford
The town has one school, shown below. Its one primary school teaches 52 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shefford C.E. Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 52 | B− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Great Shefford: just 9% travel under 5 km, below Berkshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £58K a year before tax, below Berkshire’s towns (£74K) but above England’s towns (£55K). 90% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.3% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot6%
Bicycle2%
9%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
43%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£58K
mean household income, before tax
1.3%
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
Homes in Great Shefford sell for £333K at the median, against £485K in Berkshire’s towns and £308K in England’s towns
Social housing holds 12% of households, lower than both Berkshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). The owner-occupied share of households is 69%. Renting privately is how nearly a fifth of households live.
£333Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Great Shefford£333K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £837,500 | 8 |
| Semi-detached | £330,000 | 13 |
| Terraced | £300,000 | 7 |
69%
of households own their home · England 61%
19%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,338
average private rent a month, West Berkshire council area
£2,492
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
Violence is recorded less often in Great Shefford than in Berkshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 5.3 per 1,000 residents a year
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 30% of recorded crime. Homes see 4.2 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 10 recorded crimes inside Great Shefford’s built-up area, and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.5 reports per 1,000, below both Berkshire’s towns (6.4) and England’s towns (7.8).
5.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Other theft2
Drugs2
Damage & arson1
Public order1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Vehicle crime0
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.
5.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
10
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
Most people in Great Shefford (87%) report good or very good health
The nearest A&E to Great Shefford is Great Western Hospital, 12.9 miles away. Seeing a GP means leaving Great Shefford: the nearest practice is 4 miles away.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Great Shefford | Berkshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 13% | 17% |
80
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.9
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Great Shefford keeps more of its old housing than Berkshire’s towns or England’s towns: 28% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 2 of them. Great Shefford has 158 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, higher than both Berkshire’s towns (34) and England’s towns (39).
15listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II13
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Mary Grade II*
- The Manor House Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
28%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
158
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Great Shefford
12pages on Great Shefford
The big questions
Safety5.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £333K · rent £1,338 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 80 (men), 85.9 (women)Work & commute62% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards8.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Great Shefford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LambournHungerfordKintburyRamsburyAldbourneNewburyHermitageGreat Shefford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Shefford | 949 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lambourn | 3,141 | 4.2 | B− | A− | B | B |
| Hungerford | 5,184 | 5.5 | B− | B+ | C | B− |
| Kintbury | 2,054 | 5.6 | — | B | B+ | B+ |
| Ramsbury | 1,541 | 7.2 | — | C+ | A+ | A |
| Aldbourne | 1,686 | 7.6 | — | B− | A | A+ |
| Newbury | 42,262 | 7.6 | B | B | C− | B− |
| Hermitage | 2,224 | 7.8 | — | C | A | A+ |
Kintbury, Ramsbury, Aldbourne and Hermitage have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Great Shefford
How many listed buildings are there in Great Shefford?
That is 6.5 times the typical UK town for its size. 28% of Great Shefford’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Is Great Shefford expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £332,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £300,000, semi-detached houses £330,000 and detached houses £837,500. Private rents in the West Berkshire council area averaged £1,338 a month in August 2026.
About Great Shefford
Village in Berkshire, England
Great Shefford is a built-up area of 949 people, in the West Berkshire 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
- 949 (Census 2021)
- Council
- West Berkshire
- County
- Berkshire
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005019
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.