Brown Knowl’s story
Brown Knowl: 42% of homes built before 1919
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Brown Knowl’s built-up area.
42% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Brown KnowlCheshire
It is a village of 213 residents in Cheshire, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jim Barton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
213
Census 2021 · Cheshire West and Chester council
Median age
54.3
34% are 65+ · Cheshire 21%
Degree level
44%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
4%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Brown Knowl a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Brown Knowl is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 4% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 4, with 0 at Grade I. It skews older: just over a third of residents are 65 or over.
What makes Brown Knowl stand out
The 3 things Brown Knowl 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*; 7.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
34% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Brown Knowl.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Brown Knowl: 34% are 65 or over, above Cheshire’s towns and England’s towns
44% of adults hold a degree, higher than both Cheshire’s towns (34%) and England’s towns (34%). Children under 15 make up just over one in ten residents. Line up the people of Brown Knowl by age and the one in the middle is 54.3.
54.3median age
Brown KnowlCheshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
34%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level44%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Brown Knowl | Cheshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 12% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 34% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.8% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cheshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Brown Knowl work nearby than in Cheshire’s towns or England’s towns: 10% travel under 5 km
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.
46% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census. The car took 96% of commuters, above both Cheshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (70%). Brown Knowl counts 0.7 jobs per working resident.
4%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving96%
On foot2%
Bicycle2%
10%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
46%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£55K
mean household income, before tax
1.8%
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 Brown Knowl than in Cheshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 86%
Social renters account for 1% of households. 13% rent privately, lower than both Cheshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (21%). Private rents average £991 a month across the Cheshire West and Chester council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Brown Knowl£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £683,000 | 7 |
86%
of households own their home · England 61%
13%
rent privately · England 21%
£991
average private rent a month, Cheshire West and Chester council area
£2,507
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 Brown Knowl: 7.8 per 1,000 residents a year, under Cheshire’s towns and England’s towns
Police recorded 1 crimes inside Brown Knowl’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 2 reports of anti-social behaviour. 100% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. There were 4.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than Cheshire’s towns (3.7) yet lower than England’s towns (7.8).
7.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
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.
7.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
1
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 Brown Knowl than in Cheshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.3% of residents
A disability affects 16% of people in Brown Knowl. At the census, 84% of people in Brown Knowl called their health good or very good, higher than both Cheshire’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). Seeing a GP means leaving Brown Knowl: the nearest practice is 4.2 miles away.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Brown Knowl | Cheshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 5.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
82.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.5
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
Brown Knowl keeps more of its old housing than Cheshire’s towns or England’s towns: 42% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Scaled to its population, that is 188 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in Brown Knowl. Of the town’s land, 100% lies in conservation areas, about level with Cheshire’s towns (100%) and above England’s towns (7%).
4listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II4
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
42%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
188
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Cholmondeley Castle and 2 more in and around Brown Knowl
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Brown Knowl. Best known first.
Historic houseCholmondeley Castle4.3 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleBolesworth Castle1.7 km outside town, to the north
MuseumStretton Water Mill4 km outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Cholmondeley Castle: Peter Craine, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bolesworth Castle: Jonathan Hutchins, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stretton Water Mill: Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Brown Knowl
12pages on Brown Knowl
The big questions
Brown Knowl’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
TattenhallMalpasBunburyFarndonHoltTarporleyPentre MaelorBrown Knowl
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Knowl | 213 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tattenhall | 2,296 | 3.1 | — | D | A | A− |
| Malpas | 1,361 | 4 | — | C+ | C− | A− |
| Bunbury | 1,259 | 4.8 | — | C− | A | A− |
| Farndon | 2,227 | 5 | — | C− | A+ | A |
| Holt | 1,084 | 5.4 | — | C− | B+ | B+ |
| Tarporley | 3,212 | 6.5 | A | D | A− | A+ |
| Pentre Maelor | 1,814 | 7.8 | — | C+ | D− | C+ |
Tattenhall, Malpas, Bunbury, Farndon, Holt and Pentre Maelor have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Brown Knowl
How many listed buildings are there in Brown Knowl?
That is 7.7 times the typical UK town for its size. 42% of Brown Knowl’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
How much is council tax in Brown Knowl?
Band D council tax in Brown Knowl is £2,507 for 2026–27, more than in 66% 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 Brown Knowl
Village in Cheshire, England
Brown Knowl is a built-up area of 213 people, in the Cheshire West and Chester 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
- 213 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Cheshire West and Chester
- County
- Cheshire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001824
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.