Heads Nook’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Heads Nook’s built-up area.
42% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Heads NookCumbria
The village has 367 residents and lies in Cumbria, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Oliver Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
367
Census 2021 · Carlisle council
Median age
52.4
24% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
44%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
4%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Heads Nook a good place to live?
Heads Nook is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. 4% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Pre-1919 homes make up 42% of the housing. 55% of households own their home outright.
What makes Heads Nook stand out
The 3 things Heads Nook does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
4% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Own outright
Housing
55% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Heads Nook.
Work & commute
Only 8% of Heads Nook’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 36% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Income per household averages £49K a year, before tax. The car took 94% of commuters, above both Cumbria’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%), and on top of that the census counted 36% of workers working mainly from home. Also worth knowing: 1% of commuters who live in Heads Nook also work there.
4%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
On foot3%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
8%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
36%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£49K
mean household income, before tax
1.3%
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 own their home in Heads Nook than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 89%
Social housing holds 1% of households, below both Cumbria’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private tenants account for one in ten households. That is the middle of 9 standard sales inside Heads Nook’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
Heads Nook£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £362,500 | 8 |
89%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£681
average private rent a month, Cumberland council area
£2,507
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
Heads Nook records less violent crime per resident than Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns, at 11.8 per 1,000 a year
Burglary and damage came to 3.6 per 1,000 residents a year, below Cumbria’s towns (8.5) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 8 crimes inside Heads Nook’s built-up area. Of all the crimes, 38% were violence and sexual offences.
11.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Other theft5
Violence & sexual3
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
11.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
8
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 1.6% of people in Heads Nook say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
The nearest A&E to Heads Nook is Cumberland Infirmary, 6.6 miles away. At the census, 88% of people in Heads Nook called their health good or very good, above both Cumbria’s towns (79%) and England’s towns (82%). 13% of residents in Heads Nook live with a disability. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 4.1 miles off.
88%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Heads Nook | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 1.6% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 20% | 17% |
82.6
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 · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
Heads Nook’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.
Heads Nook 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
42%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
27
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Degrees are more common in Heads Nook than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 44% of adults
Over-65s are nearly a quarter of the population. People aged 15 to 24 make up nearly a tenth of the town, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (9.9%) and England’s towns (12%). The age that splits Heads Nook in two is 52.4. Children under 15 count for 16% of the people here.
52.4median age
Heads NookCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
24%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level44%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Heads Nook | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.2% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 35% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.7% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.9% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Heads Nook
12pages on Heads Nook
The big questions
Heads Nook’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Warwick BridgeWetheralScotbyBramptonHoughtonCarlisleDalstonHeads Nook
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heads Nook | 367 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Warwick Bridge | 1,232 | 1.5 | — | D | B+ | A− |
| Wetheral | 1,129 | 1.8 | — | D− | A | A+ |
| Scotby | 1,830 | 3.2 | — | D− | A+ | A− |
| Brampton | 4,187 | 4.4 | C− | C− | D | C+ |
| Houghton | 1,486 | 5.6 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Carlisle | 77,729 | 5.8 | D | C+ | D | D |
| Dalston | 1,541 | 8.2 | — | D− | B | B |
Warwick Bridge, Wetheral, Scotby, Houghton and Dalston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Heads Nook
How many listed buildings are there in Heads Nook?
1 on Historic England’s list.
How much is council tax in Heads Nook?
Band D council tax in Heads Nook is £2,507 for 2026–27, more than in 66% 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 Heads Nook
Village in Cumbria, England
Heads Nook is a built-up area of 367 people, in the Carlisle 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
- 367 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Carlisle
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000136
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.