Brinkley’s story
13 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Brinkley’s built-up area.
24% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BrinkleyCambridgeshire
368 residents make their home in this village in Cambridgeshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Rich257 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
368
Census 2021 · East Cambridgeshire council
Median age
50.2
25% are 65+ · Cambridgeshire 17%
Degree level
41%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
4%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Brinkley a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Brinkley has none; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 4% of commuters. 13 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I. A quarter of residents are 65 or over.
What makes Brinkley stand out
The 3 things Brinkley 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
1 Grade II*, including Parish Church of St. Mary; 14.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
25% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Brinkley.
Who lives here
Few people in Brinkley are 15 to 24: 7.1%, fewer than in both Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns
50.2median age
Brinkley has a median age of 50.2 years. Degrees are held by just over two in five adults, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (37%) and England’s towns (34%).
BrinkleyCambridgeshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 87 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Brinkley | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.1% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 37% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cambridgeshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
More commuters in Brinkley drive than in Cambridgeshire’s towns or England’s towns: 95%
4%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.3% of 16 to 64s in 2026, lower than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (2.1%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The average household earns £71K a year before tax. There are 0.4 jobs in Brinkley for each resident in work.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving95%
Train2%
On foot1%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
4%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£71K
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
Few households rent privately in Brinkley: 13%, fewer than in both Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns
£0Kmedian sale
Three quarters of households own their home, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (61%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. Social housing holds one in ten households. Private rents average £1,038 a month across the East Cambridgeshire council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Brinkley£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £370,000 | 6 |
75%
of households own their home · England 61%
13%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,038
average private rent a month, East Cambridgeshire council area
£2,445
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 Brinkley: 13.6 per 1,000 residents a year, under Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns
13.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Police figures for Brinkley’s built-up area: 9 crimes and 2 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 2.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (9) and England’s towns (7.8). Of all the crimes, 44% were violence and sexual offences.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual4
Burglary2
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Drugs0
Anti-social2
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.
13.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
9
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 Brinkley than in Cambridgeshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 2.5% of residents
85%good or very good health
85% of Brinkley’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (84%) and England’s towns (82%). Seeing a GP means leaving Brinkley: the nearest practice is 5.5 miles away. The nearest A&E to Brinkley is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 10.2 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Brinkley | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.5% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
80.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
81.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
More buildings in Brinkley are listed than in Cambridgeshire’s towns or England’s towns: 353 per 10,000 residents
13listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
24% of homes were built before 1919. Conservation areas cover 55% of Brinkley’s land, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. Grade II* covers 1 of them.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II12
Among them · Grade II*
- Parish Church of St. Mary Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
24%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
353
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 Brinkley
12pages on Brinkley
The big questions
About Brinkley
Village in Cambridgeshire, England
Brinkley is a built-up area of 368 people, in the East Cambridgeshire 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
- 368 (Census 2021)
- Council
- East Cambridgeshire
- County
- Cambridgeshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003505
Brinkley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BalshamNewmarketCock and EndHaverhillLintonBottishamExningBrinkley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brinkley | 368 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Balsham | 1,625 | 3.6 | — | B+ | A | A+ |
| Newmarket | 18,857 | 5.7 | B− | B− | C− | B− |
| Cock and End | 1,346 | 6 | — | C+ | D− | B− |
| Haverhill | 26,704 | 6.1 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Linton | 4,452 | 6.2 | A+ | B+ | B | A |
| Bottisham | 1,990 | 6.5 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Exning | 2,049 | 6.9 | — | D | C | B |
Balsham, Cock and End, Bottisham and Exning have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Brinkley
How many listed buildings are there in Brinkley?
That is 14.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Brinkley?
Band D council tax in Brinkley is £2,445 for 2026–27, more than in 50% 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.
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.