Coniston’s story
8 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Coniston’s built-up area.
53% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ConistonCumbria
A village of 595 in Cumbria, North West.
4 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Strider52 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
595
Census 2021 · South Lakeland council
Median home
£383K
33 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.6
33% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
33%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
28%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Coniston a good place to live?
Coniston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Coniston stand out
The 3 things Coniston does most differently from other towns.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
33% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
£383K median home
1.4 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Coniston.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Coniston: 33% are 65 or over, above Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
On this, Coniston is above both Cumbria’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (18%). 8.1% of residents are aged 15 to 24. Coniston has a median age of 52.6.
52.6median age
ConistonCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
33%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship11%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 106 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Coniston | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.1% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Coniston
Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coniston CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 67 | D− |
| John Ruskin SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 247 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsSee all 2 schools →
Work & commute
Commuters in Coniston travel far: only 30% go under 5 km, fewer than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 21% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In the comparison, Coniston comes below both Cumbria’s towns (53%) and England’s towns (45%). At the census, 28% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
28%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving71%
On foot25%
Bicycle3%
30%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
21%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£44K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
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
Social housing is more common in Coniston than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns, at 28% of households
For Coniston, that is above both Cumbria’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Owners make up 57% of households.
£383Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Coniston£383K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £472,500 | 12 |
| Semi-detached | £383,000 | 7 |
| Terraced | £320,000 | 9 |
| Flat or maisonette | £155,000 | 5 |
57%
of households own their home · England 61%
14%
rent privately · England 21%
£816
average private rent a month, Westmorland and Furness council area
£2,512
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 Coniston harder than Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 12.3 per 1,000 residents a year
Coniston sits above both Cumbria’s towns (8.5) and England’s towns (9.4) on this measure. Police recorded 44 crimes inside Coniston’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 50% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
25.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual22
Damage & arson7
Public order6
Other theft3
Bicycle theft2
Weapons2
Shoplifting1
Vehicle crime1
Anti-social1
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.
25.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
44
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Bad health is less common in Coniston than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 4% of residents
That puts Coniston below both Cumbria’s towns (6.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Coniston has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 6.2 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.
79%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Coniston | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 20% | 17% |
83
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
88.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
Old homes shape Coniston: 53% were built before 1919, more than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, Coniston has 134 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above both Cumbria’s towns (46) and England’s towns (39). Coniston has 8 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*.
8listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II8
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
53%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
134
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →The Ruskin Museum and 7 more in and around Coniston
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Coniston. Best known first.
MuseumThe Ruskin Museumin town
MuseumBrantwood1.2 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionJohn Ruskin's Gravein townMuseumMuseumHawkshead Grammar School4.5 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionSteam Yacht Gondola100 m outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionGo Ape3.7 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- The Ruskin Museum: Paul Hermans, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brantwood: Myself, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Coniston
14pages on Coniston
The big questions
Safety25.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £383K · rent £816 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Beck YeatSchools2 state schoolsHealthLife expectancy 83 (men), 88.7 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards43.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Coniston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
AmblesideBowness-on-WindermereWindermereStaveleyConiston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coniston | 595 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ambleside | 2,624 | 6.1 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ |
| Bowness-on-Windermere | 2,290 | 6.3 | — | D− | D− | A |
| Windermere | 4,819 | 6.8 | C | D− | C | A− |
| Staveley | 1,466 | 10 | — | D− | A− | A |
Bowness-on-Windermere and Staveley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Coniston
How many listed buildings are there in Coniston?
That is 5.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Coniston expensive to live in?
Private rents in the Westmorland and Furness council area averaged £816 a month in August 2026.
About Coniston
Village in Cumbria, England
Coniston is a built-up area of 595 people, in the South Lakeland 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
- 595 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Lakeland
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000388
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.