Low Cross and Appleby-in-Westmorland church

Appleby-in-Westmorland, #1 on this list · Photo: Philip Halling · CC BY-SA 2.0

Cumbria rankings · History

Most historic towns in Cumbria

Appleby-in-Westmorland ranks first on history among Cumbria’s 23 towns of 2,500+; 15 of the 23 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

Appleby-in-Westmorland

3,233 people

A⁺

Better than 97% of UK towns·#52 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Ulverston

11,219 people

Better than 93% of UK towns·#103 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Ambleside

2,624 people

Better than 93% of UK towns·#106 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 23 towns, ranked

History grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Cumbria →

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23 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Appleby-in-Westmorland3,233 peopleA⁺#52 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns

2Ulverston11,219 peopleA#103 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 93% of UK towns

3Ambleside2,624 peopleA#106 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 93% of UK towns

4Dalton-in-Furness7,551 peopleA#157 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 90% of UK towns

5Keswick4,465 peopleA#193 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 88% of UK towns

6Penrith16,705 peopleA#258 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 85% of UK towns

7Maryport8,526 peopleA⁻#288 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns

8Cockermouth8,859 peopleA⁻#299 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns

9Barrow-in-Furness55,260 peopleA⁻#344 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 82% of UK towns

T10Carlisle77,729 peopleA⁻#353 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

T10Kendal28,939 peopleA⁻#353 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

12Grange-over-Sands4,047 peopleA⁻#410 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 78% of UK towns

13Brampton4,187 peopleA⁻#430 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 77% of UK towns

14Whitehaven22,952 peopleA⁻#458 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 76% of UK towns

15Workington21,276 peopleA⁻#475 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns

16Windermere4,819 peopleB⁺#518 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 73% of UK towns

17Wigton5,396 peopleB⁺#573 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 71% of UK towns

18Silloth2,542 peopleB#801 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 61% of UK towns

19Askam in Furness3,172 peopleB#866 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns

20Cleator Moor6,671 peopleB#910 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 55% of UK towns

21Egremont5,791 peopleC⁺#1,201 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 43% of UK towns

22Millom5,690 peopleC⁺#1,279 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns

23Seaton5,051 peopleD#1,863 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 12% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the most historic town in Cumbria?

Appleby-in-Westmorland ranks first on history among 23 towns, with an A+: better than 97% of UK towns. Ulverston and Ambleside follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Cumbria’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Cumbria is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Cumbria lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Cumbria rankings →

Best places to live23 towns · #1 Grange-over-Sands Best small towns16 towns · #1 Grange-over-Sands Most affordable towns23 towns · #1 Cleator Moor Safest towns23 towns · #1 Seaton Towns with the best schools23 towns · #1 Kendal Healthiest towns23 towns · #1 Keswick Best towns for jobs & income23 towns · #1 Windermere Most walkable towns23 towns · #1 Ambleside Towns with the lowest flood risk23 towns · #1 Millom Best towns for the outdoors23 towns · #1 Keswick Towns with the most civic life23 towns · #1 Grange-over-Sands Towns with the highest household incomes23 towns · #1 CockermouthDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax23 towns · #1 CarlisleDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters23 towns · #1 WorkingtonDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers23 towns · #1 CarlisleDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers23 towns · #1 Cleator MoorDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts23 towns · #1 Barrow-in-FurnessDescribed, no letters Driest towns23 towns · #1 CarlisleDescribed, no letters Wettest towns23 towns · #1 AmblesideDescribed, no letters

Sources: 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 · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.