Braithwaite’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Braithwaite’s built-up area.
36% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BraithwaiteCumbria
A village of 128 in Cumbria, North West.
3 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Graham Robson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
128
Census 2021 · Allerdale council
Median age
44.6
19% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
18%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Braithwaite a good place to live?
Braithwaite has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Braithwaite stand out
The 3 things Braithwaite does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 listed building
0 Grade II*; 3.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Cumbria 28%.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Derwent Pencil Museum and 12 more in and around Braithwaite
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Braithwaite. Best known first.
MuseumDerwent Pencil Museum2.7 km outside town, to the east
Historic house · National TrustDerwent Island and House2.7 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumKeswick Museum & Art Gallery3.3 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseUnderscar3.7 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseMirehouse4 km outside town, to the northHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustForce Crag Mine3.4 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 (5)
- Derwent Pencil Museum: Stinglehammer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Derwent Island and House: ThereWereNoWMDs, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Keswick Museum & Art Gallery: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Underscar: Ian Cunliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mirehouse: Ian Cunliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Braithwaite.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Braithwaite hold a degree than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 18%
Nearly a fifth of residents are 65 or over, below Cumbria’s towns (23%) and close to England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 14% of residents. Half of Braithwaite is older than 44.6, half younger.
44.6median age
BraithwaiteCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
14%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications23%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar22%
Degree level18%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Braithwaite | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 14% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.7% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 22% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 18% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Braithwaite walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 10%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 18% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
36% of commuters travelled under 5 km, below Cumbria’s towns (53%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. The car carried nine in ten commuters at the census. In 2026, 0.4% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot4%
Bus4%
Bicycle2%
36%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
18%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£39K
mean household income, before tax
0.4%
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 in Braithwaite live in social housing than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 36%
Owners make up half of households, below Cumbria’s towns (68%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. Private renters make up 7% of households. That is the middle of 8 standard sales inside Braithwaite’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Braithwaite£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £223,750 | 6 |
50%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£681
average private rent a month, Cumberland council area
£2,470
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
Violence is recorded more often in Braithwaite than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 52.1 per 1,000 residents a year
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 15.6 reports per 1,000, higher than both Cumbria’s towns (3.3) and England’s towns (7.8). Homes see 5.2 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Over the year to August 2026, 14 offences were reported in Braithwaite, along with 2 incidents of anti-social behaviour. 79% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
52.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual11
Other theft2
Public order1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
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.
52.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
15.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
14
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
Fewer people in Braithwaite say their health is good than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 77%
At the census, 22% of people here had a disability, higher than both Cumbria’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). 6.9% of residents report bad or very bad health. Braithwaite has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.2 miles away.
77%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 77%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Braithwaite | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.9% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 20% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Braithwaite’s listed buildings: 1, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Braithwaite has 1 listed building inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list, all Grade II.
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
36%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
78
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 Braithwaite
12pages on Braithwaite
The big questions
Braithwaite’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
KeswickCockermouthGreat Broughton and Little BroughtonBraithwaite
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braithwaite | 128 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Keswick | 4,465 | 2.3 | C+ | D− | C | A− |
| Cockermouth | 8,859 | 8.2 | C+ | D− | B | B+ |
| Great Broughton and Little Broughton | 1,763 | 11 | — | C− | A | B |
Great Broughton and Little Broughton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Braithwaite
How many listed buildings are there in Braithwaite?
1 on Historic England’s list. That is 3.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Braithwaite?
Band D council tax in Braithwaite is £2,470 for 2026–27, more than in 57% 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 Braithwaite
Village in Cumbria, England
Braithwaite is a built-up area of 128 people, in the Allerdale 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
- 128 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Allerdale
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000290
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.