Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 855 in Cornwall, South West.
Playing Place has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Playing Place does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Playing Place’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Playing Place.
Playing Place sits above both Cornwall’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%) on this measure. Children under 15 make up 13% of residents. Playing Place has a median age of 53.7.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 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.
| Playing Place | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 35% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Playing Place below both Cornwall’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (27%). 83% of commuters drove to work at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
On this, Playing Place is below both Cornwall’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%). 77% of households own their home.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £460,783 | 24 |
| Semi-detached | £337,500 | 12 |
| Terraced | £235,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
In the comparison, Playing Place comes below both Cornwall’s towns (7.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 48 crimes inside Playing Place’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violent crime runs at 28.1 per 1,000 residents a year.
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.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
For Playing Place, that is above both Cornwall’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (17%). Playing Place has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.3 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
| Census 2021 | Playing Place | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.6% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 22% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Playing Place has 3 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. 7% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Playing Place. Best known first.
CathedralTruro Cathedral3.1 km outside town, to the north
MuseumRoyal Cornwall Museum3 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseTregothnan4 km outside town, to the east
Art galleryNew County Hall2.4 km outside town, to the northGardenGarden · National TrustTrelissick Garden2.8 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric houseHistoric house · National TrustTrelissick House2.7 km outside town, to the southeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playing Place | 855 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Carnon Downs and Devoran | 2,129 | 1.4 | — | D− | A | A− |
| Truro | 23,060 | 2.1 | D | D− | D | C |
| Perranarworthal | 1,305 | 2.8 | — | D− | A+ | A |
| Threemilestone | 2,854 | 2.9 | B | D− | B | C |
| Mylor Bridge | 1,534 | 3.3 | — | D− | A+ | A |
| Shortlanesend | 1,427 | 3.8 | — | D− | A− | A− |
| Penryn | 11,194 | 4.8 | C+ | D | B | C+ |
Carnon Downs and Devoran, Perranarworthal, Mylor Bridge and Shortlanesend have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £400,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £235,000, semi-detached houses £337,500 and detached houses £460,783. Private rents in the Cornwall council area averaged £1,000 a month in August 2026.
Band D council tax in Playing Place is £2,460 for 2026–27, more than in 54% 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.
Village in Cornwall, England
Playing Place is a built-up area of 855 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
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.