Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 261 in Cumbria, North West.
Hawkshead has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 2 things Hawkshead does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 41 buildings inside Hawkshead’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
62% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 2 old photos and postcards going back to 1693.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Hawkshead. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustHill Top2.6 km outside town, to the southeast
Castle · National TrustWray Castle3.4 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumThe Ruskin Museum4.9 km outside town, to the west
MuseumWindermere Jetty4.7 km outside town, to the east
MuseumBrantwood4.4 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hawkshead.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Hawkshead below both Cumbria’s towns (53%) and England’s towns (45%). The car carried 68% of commuters at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkshead Esthwaite Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 30 | B+ |
On this, Hawkshead is below both Cumbria’s towns (68%) and England’s towns (61%). 35% of households live in social housing.
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
In the comparison, Hawkshead comes below both Cumbria’s towns (27.1) and England’s towns (22). Burglary and damage come to 3.8 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 11 crimes inside Hawkshead’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 0 reports of anti-social behaviour.
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 Hawkshead, that is below both Cumbria’s towns (6.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Hawkshead has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.5 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 | Hawkshead | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 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.
Hawkshead sits above both Cumbria’s towns (46) and England’s towns (39) on this measure. Hawkshead’s listed buildings include Church of St Michael and All Angels, Grade I. Hawkshead has 41 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 2 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
12% of residents are children under 15. 21% of residents are 65 or over, below Cumbria’s towns (23%) but above England’s towns (18%). Half the people of Hawkshead are older than 51.6.
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Hawkshead | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 39% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 9.1% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkshead | 261 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bowness-on-Windermere | 2,290 | 3.4 | — | D− | D− | A |
| Windermere | 4,819 | 3.9 | C | D− | C | A− |
| Ambleside | 2,624 | 4.2 | B− | D− | C+ | B+ |
| Staveley | 1,466 | 7.3 | — | D− | A− | A |
| Kendal | 28,939 | 11 | C+ | D | C− | B− |
| Levens | 1,020 | 11 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
Bowness-on-Windermere, Staveley and Levens have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 64.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Michael and All Angels.
Band D council tax in Hawkshead is £2,487 for 2026–27, more than in 61% 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 Cumbria, England
Hawkshead is a built-up area of 261 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
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.