Looking towards The Wharf across St Ives Harbour

St Ives, #1 on this list · Photo: John Lucas · CC BY-SA 2.0

Cornwall rankings · History

Most historic towns in Cornwall

St Ives ranks first on history among Cornwall’s 35 towns of 2,500+; 19 of the 35 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

St Ives

5,413 people

A⁺

Better than almost every UK town·#10 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Lostwithiel

3,067 people

A⁺

Better than 98% of UK towns·#22 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Penzance

14,957 people

A⁺

Better than 98% of UK towns·#24 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 35 towns, ranked

History grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Cornwall →

Find a town

35 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1St Ives5,413 peopleA⁺#10 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town

2Lostwithiel3,067 peopleA⁺#22 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

3Penzance14,957 peopleA⁺#24 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 98% of UK towns

4Launceston8,431 peopleA⁺#54 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns

5St Agnes3,253 peopleA⁺#78 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns

6Looe5,314 peopleA#113 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 93% of UK towns

7Newlyn3,362 peopleA#117 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

8Penryn11,194 peopleA#137 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns

9St Columb Major3,663 peopleA#168 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 90% of UK towns

10Hayle9,040 peopleA#200 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns

11Truro23,060 peopleA#237 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

T12Falmouth24,066 peopleA#240 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

T12Helston11,366 peopleA#240 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

14Redruth15,455 peopleA#242 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

15Liskeard10,901 peopleA#252 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

16Camborne20,445 peopleA⁻#373 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 80% of UK towns

17Porthleven3,118 peopleA⁻#395 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns

18Tywardreath2,589 peopleA⁻#410 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 78% of UK towns

19Pool and Illogan8,588 peopleA⁻#438 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 77% of UK towns

20Gunnislake and St Ann's Chapel3,506 peopleB⁺#502 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

21Camelford2,983 peopleB⁺#505 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 74% of UK towns

22Bodmin16,904 peopleB⁺#551 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

23St Austell24,361 peopleB⁺#633 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 68% of UK towns

24Wadebridge5,626 peopleB#730 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 64% of UK towns

25St Blazey6,569 peopleB#760 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 62% of UK towns

26Callington4,665 peopleB#762 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 62% of UK towns

27Saltash15,433 peopleB#804 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 60% of UK towns

28Probus2,565 peopleB#906 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 56% of UK towns

29Bude7,347 peopleB#912 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 55% of UK towns

30Indian Queens, Fraddon and St Columb Road3,888 peopleB⁻#1,024 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 51% of UK towns

31Newquay24,543 peopleC⁺#1,164 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 45% of UK towns

32Torpoint7,163 peopleC⁺#1,254 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns

33Carbis Bay3,967 peopleC#1,575 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 25% of UK towns

34Perranporth2,752 peopleC⁻#1,647 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 22% of UK towns

35Threemilestone2,854 peopleD#2,004 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 6% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the most historic town in Cornwall?

St Ives ranks first on history among 35 towns, with an A+: better than almost every UK town. Lostwithiel and Penzance follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Cornwall’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Cornwall is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Cornwall lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Cornwall rankings →

Best places to live35 towns · #1 St Agnes Best small towns23 towns · #1 St Agnes Most affordable towns35 towns · #1 St Blazey Safest towns35 towns · #1 Probus Towns with the best schools35 towns · #1 St Agnes Healthiest towns35 towns · #1 St Agnes Best towns for jobs & income35 towns · #1 Threemilestone Most walkable towns35 towns · #1 St Ives Towns with the lowest flood risk35 towns · #1 Gunnislake and St Ann's Chapel and Threemilestone Best towns for the outdoors35 towns · #1 Tywardreath Towns with the most civic life35 towns · #1 Lostwithiel Towns with the highest household incomes35 towns · #1 St AgnesDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax35 towns · #1 TywardreathDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters35 towns · #1 PenzanceDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers35 towns · #1 Saltash and TorpointDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers35 towns · #1 CamelfordDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts35 towns · #1 St IvesDescribed, no letters Driest towns35 towns · #1 BudeDescribed, no letters Wettest towns35 towns · #1 LiskeardDescribed, no letters

Sources: 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 · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.