The Towans’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside The Towans’ built-up area.
42% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
The TowansCornwall
A village of 259 in Cornwall, South West. 2 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
259
Census 2021 · Cornwall council
Median home
£248K
21 sales in 3 years
Median age
54.1
30% are 65+ · Cornwall 24%
Degree level
38%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is The Towans a good place to live?
The Towans has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes The Towans stand out
The 3 things The Towans does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 listed buildings
0 Grade II*; 3.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
30% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Tate St Ives and 9 more in and around The Towans
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near The Towans. Best known first.
Art galleryTate St Ives4.2 km outside town, to the northwest · 214K visitors a year (2009)
MuseumBarbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden4.1 km outside town, to the northwest
ZooParadise Park1.1 km outside town, to the south
Fort · National TrustTrencrom Hill3.8 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumThe Leach Pottery4.6 km outside town, to the west
MuseumSt Ives Museum3.9 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Tate St Ives: flickr user "Steve Parker", CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden: Sarah Charlesworth, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paradise Park: Chris Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Trencrom Hill: Crispin Purdye, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Leach Pottery: Jordanhill School D&T Dept, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Ives Museum: Bill Harrison, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in The Towans.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in The Towans than in Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns: 12% are under 15
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8% of residents, below Cornwall’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Retirement age and beyond: 30% of residents are 65 or older. At 54.1, the median resident of The Towans sits in the middle of the age range. 38% of adults hold a degree.
54.1median age
The TowansCornwallEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level38%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| The Towans | Cornwall | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cornwall and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
4.8% of 16 to 64s in The Towans claim unemployment benefits, more than in Cornwall’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The Towans counts 1.7 jobs per working resident. Of the commuters living in the town, 7% work in the town itself. At the census, 11% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Cornwall’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. On top of that, for 34% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving80%
On foot9%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
34%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£43K
mean household income, before tax
4.8%
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
The Towans is a town of owners: 77% of households own their home, above Cornwall’s towns and England’s towns
The median sale price was £248K, lower than both Cornwall’s towns (£277K) and England’s towns (£308K). 2% of households rent from a council or housing body. Private rents average £1,000 a month across the Cornwall council area.
£248Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
The Towans£248K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £243,000 | 17 |
77%
of households own their home · England 61%
£1,000
average private rent a month, Cornwall council area
£2,724
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
Burglary and damage hit The Towans harder than Cornwall’s towns or England’s towns: 30.9 per 1,000 residents a year
Violence and sexual offences were three quarters of the crimes. Violent crime ran at 63.2 per 1,000 residents a year, above Cornwall’s towns (25) and England’s towns (22) alike. Police recorded 36 crimes inside The Towans’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 10 reports of anti-social behaviour.
63.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual27
Damage & arson5
Shoplifting1
Public order1
Burglary1
Other crime1
Other theft0
Drugs0
Anti-social10
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.
63.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
30.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
32.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
36
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 4.3% of people in The Towans say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Cornwall’s towns and across England’s towns
A disability affects 16% of people in The Towans. 85% of The Towans’ residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above Cornwall’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. The nearest A&E to The Towans is Royal Cornwall Hospital, 15.5 miles away.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | The Towans | Cornwall | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 22% | 17% |
78.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.3
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
Old homes shape The Towans: 42% were built before 1919, more than in Cornwall’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 14% of The Towans’ land, above both Cornwall’s towns (0%) and England’s towns (7%). Every one of the town’s 2 listed buildings sits at Grade II, the most common listing. Listed buildings per head: 77 for every 10,000 residents of the town.
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
42%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
77
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 The Towans
13pages on The Towans
The big questions
Safety63.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £248K · rent £1,000 a monthHousing10 sold in 12 months · busiest street Riviere TowansSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 78.6 (men), 83.3 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
The Towans’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HayleCarbis BaySt ErthConnor DownsSt IvesReawlaCrowlasThe Towans
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Towans | 259 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hayle | 9,040 | 0.8 | D− | D− | C− | C |
| Carbis Bay | 3,967 | 2 | C+ | D− | A− | B |
| St Erth | 1,128 | 2.1 | — | D− | C | C+ |
| Connor Downs | 1,482 | 2.5 | — | D− | C | C |
| St Ives | 5,413 | 2.9 | D− | D− | D | C |
| Reawla | 1,117 | 3.3 | — | D | B+ | C |
| Crowlas | 1,054 | 4.2 | — | D | A− | B− |
St Erth, Connor Downs, Reawla and Crowlas have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about The Towans
How many listed buildings are there in The Towans?
2 on Historic England’s list. That is 3.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in The Towans?
Band D council tax in The Towans is £2,724 for 2026–27, more than in 97% 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 The Towans
Village in Cornwall, England
The Towans is a built-up area of 259 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
- 259 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Cornwall
- County
- Cornwall
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63007036
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.