Horningsea’s story
18 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Horningsea’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
HorningseaCambridgeshire
Population 329: a village in Cambridgeshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: John Sutton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
329
Census 2021 · South Cambridgeshire council
Median age
52.8
31% are 65+ · Cambridgeshire 17%
Degree level
50%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
19%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Horningsea a good place to live?
Horningsea has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. 18 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. Over-65s are 31% of the population. A degree-level qualification is held by half of adults.
What makes Horningsea stand out
The 3 things Horningsea does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Horningsea.
Who lives here
Children make up only 11% of Horningsea, fewer than in Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns
52.8median age
6.2% of residents are aged 15 to 24. People 65 and over make up 31% of the town, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. At 52.8, the median resident of Horningsea sits in the middle of the age range. Graduates make up half of adults.
HorningseaCambridgeshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level50%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Horningsea | Cambridgeshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.2% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 28% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.1% | 5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 50% | 37% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cambridgeshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
More people aged 16 to 64 in Horningsea claim unemployment benefits than in Cambridgeshire’s towns or England’s towns: 4.5%
19%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 46% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £76K a year before tax, higher than both Cambridgeshire’s towns (£66K) and England’s towns (£55K). Each working resident is matched by 1.2 jobs in Horningsea. 27% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving78%
Bicycle10%
On foot5%
Bus2%
Train1%
27%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
46%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£76K
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
Housing
Horningsea is a town of owners: 71% of households own their home, above Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns
£0Kmedian sale
11% live in social housing, below both Cambridgeshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,408 a month across the South Cambridgeshire council area. That is the middle of 6 standard sales inside Horningsea’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Horningsea£0K
Typical UK town£277K
71%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,408
average private rent a month, South Cambridgeshire council area
£2,541
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 Horningsea: 10.1 per 1,000 residents a year, under Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns
10.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Burglary and damage came to 11.1 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Cambridgeshire’s towns (9.1) and England’s towns (9.4). Police figures for Horningsea’s built-up area: 8 crimes and 6 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 75% of the total.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6
Other theft1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Burglary0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social6
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.
10.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
8
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
Just 3.4% of people in Horningsea say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Cambridgeshire’s towns and England’s towns
83%good or very good health
Seeing a GP means leaving Horningsea: the nearest practice is 1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Horningsea is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 4.9 miles away. 17% of residents in Horningsea live with a disability.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Horningsea | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 16% | 17% |
84.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
88.8
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
Horningsea is rich in listed buildings: 547 per 10,000 residents, more than Cambridgeshire’s towns or England’s towns
18listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Horningsea’s listed buildings include the Church of St Peter, Grade I. Of the town’s land, 60% lies in conservation areas, above Cambridgeshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. Also worth knowing: homes built before 1919 account for 19% of the housing. The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II17
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Peter Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
547
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 Horningsea
12pages on Horningsea
The big questions
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Anglesey Abbey and 8 more in and around Horningsea
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Horningsea. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · National TrustAnglesey Abbey3.4 km outside town, to the east
MuseumCambridge Museum of Technology3.9 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumCambridge Science Centre2.6 km outside town, to the west
MuseumThe Centre for Computing History4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumWaterbeach Military Heritage Museum3.3 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttraction · National TrustLode water mill3.4 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Anglesey Abbey: Wehha, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cambridge Museum of Technology: Furrfu, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cambridge Science Centre: Cmglee, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Centre for Computing History: Purehavnet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum: Anthony Parkes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Horningsea
Village in Cambridgeshire, England
Horningsea is a built-up area of 329 people, in the South 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
- 329 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Cambridgeshire
- County
- Cambridgeshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003359
Horningsea’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
MiltonWaterbeachCambridgeBottishamHiston and ImpingtonFulbournCottenhamHorningsea
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horningsea | 329 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Milton | 4,150 | 1.2 | A+ | B+ | B | A+ |
| Waterbeach | 5,375 | 2.2 | A− | A− | C+ | B |
| Cambridge | 152,742 | 3.2 | B+ | C− | C− | B+ |
| Bottisham | 1,990 | 3.4 | — | B− | A− | B |
| Histon and Impington | 7,781 | 3.4 | A+ | B | B | B+ |
| Fulbourn | 3,737 | 4.1 | A | B− | B | B |
| Cottenham | 6,156 | 4.2 | A | B+ | B− | B |
Bottisham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Horningsea
Who lives in Horningsea?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 31% of residents were 65 or over and 32% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 11% were under 15.
How many listed buildings are there in Horningsea?
That is 22.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Peter.
How much is council tax in Horningsea?
Band D council tax in Horningsea is £2,541 for 2026–27, more than in 74% 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.