Blackwater’s story
6 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Blackwater’s built-up area.
21% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BlackwaterCornwall
Some 796 people live in this village, in Cornwall, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Alan Walker · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
796
Census 2021 · Cornwall council
Median home
£315K
20 sales in 3 years
Median age
44.1
22% are 65+ · Cornwall 24%
Degree level
34%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Blackwater a good place to live?
Blackwater is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. 11% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 6, with 0 at Grade I. Just over two in five households own their home with no mortgage.
What makes Blackwater stand out
The 3 things Blackwater does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% 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*; 3.1 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Own outright
Housing
42% 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 Blackwater.
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Blackwater work nearby than in Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns: 25% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 3.2%. The car took 87% of commuters, above Cornwall’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Blackwater counts 1.1 jobs per working resident.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot5%
Bus3%
Bicycle3%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
27%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
3.2%
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
Schools
The schools around Blackwater
The town has one school, shown below. Blackwater Community Primary School’s results beat 79% of schools in England like it. Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: 72% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwater Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 128 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Few households rent privately in Blackwater: 15%, fewer than in Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
Owners make up 68% of households, above both Cornwall’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,000 a month across the Cornwall council area. The £315,000 median rests on 20 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£315Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Blackwater£315K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £324,000 | 8 |
| Semi-detached | £360,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £188,500 | 6 |
68%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,000
average private rent a month, Cornwall council area
£2,634
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
Crime recorded by police in Blackwater
Over the year to August 2026, 35 offences were reported in Blackwater, along with 5 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Burglary and damage came to 6.9 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Cornwall’s towns (7.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Violence and sexual offences made up nearly three quarters of the total.
23.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual26
Damage & arson4
Other theft2
Public order1
Burglary1
Weapons1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Anti-social5
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.
23.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
35
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 4.7% of people in Blackwater say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
Seeing a GP means leaving Blackwater: the nearest practice is 1.5 miles away. At the census, just over a fifth of people here had a disability, close to Cornwall’s towns (22%) and above England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Blackwater is Royal Cornwall Hospital, 4 miles away.
79%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Blackwater | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 22% | 17% |
81.7
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 · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
21% of Blackwater’s homes were built before 1919 (Cornwall towns 24%, England’s towns 16%)
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, Blackwater has 75 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
6listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II6
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
21%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
75
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 19% of Blackwater, above Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
22% of residents have reached 65. People aged 15 to 24 make up 8.9% of the town, below both Cornwall’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). At 44.1, the median resident of Blackwater sits in the middle of the age range. Among adults, 34% have a degree.
44.1median age
BlackwaterCornwallEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level34%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Blackwater | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Scorrier House and 2 more in and around Blackwater
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blackwater. Best known first.
Historic houseHistoric houseScorrier House1.8 km outside town, to the south
MuseumSt Agnes Museum4 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumRedruth Old Cornwall Society Museum4.1 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumSt Agnes Museum4 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumRedruth Old Cornwall Society Museum4.1 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- St Agnes Museum: Mutney, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Blackwater
13pages on Blackwater
The big questions
Safety23.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £315K · rent £1,000 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81.7 (men), 85.9 (women)Work & commute49% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Blackwater’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Mount HawkeSt DayCarharrackSt AgnesThreemilestoneRedruthLannerBlackwater
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackwater | 796 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mount Hawke | 1,593 | 1.4 | — | D | B | B |
| St Day | 1,432 | 2.2 | — | D | C | C |
| Carharrack | 1,525 | 2.8 | — | D | A− | C |
| St Agnes | 3,253 | 2.8 | B+ | D− | B+ | B+ |
| Threemilestone | 2,854 | 3.1 | B | D− | B | C |
| Redruth | 15,455 | 3.2 | D− | D | C− | C− |
| Lanner | 2,164 | 3.8 | — | D− | A− | C |
Mount Hawke, St Day, Carharrack and Lanner have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Blackwater
How many listed buildings are there in Blackwater?
That is 3.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Blackwater?
Band D council tax in Blackwater is £2,634 for 2026–27, more than in 91% 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.
Is Blackwater expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £315,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £188,500, semi-detached houses £360,000 and detached houses £324,000. Private rents in the Cornwall council area averaged £1,000 a month in August 2026.
About Blackwater
Village in Cornwall, England
Blackwater is a built-up area of 796 people, in the Cornwall 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
- 796 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Cornwall
- County
- Cornwall
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006993
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.