Summerlands’s story
Old homes in Summerlands: 35% built before 1919
35% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SummerlandsCumbria
A village of 314 in Cumbria, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Anthony Parkes · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
314
Census 2021 · South Lakeland council
Median age
57.1
36% are 65+ · Cumbria 23%
Degree level
40%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Summerlands a good place to live?
Summerlands has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Summerlands stand out
The 3 things Summerlands does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% 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.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
36% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Summerlands.
Who lives here
Summerlands skews older, with 36% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
The under-15s are just over a tenth of the population here. The 15-to-24 age group: 6.6%, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (9.9%) and England’s towns (12%). The middle age in Summerlands is 57.1. Graduates make up 40% of adults.
57.1median age
SummerlandsCumbriaEngland
Ages · share of residents
36%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level40%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Summerlands | Cumbria | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.6% | 9.9% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 36% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.3% | 8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 28% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Cumbria and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Summerlands than in Cumbria’s towns or England’s towns: 7%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The average household earns £54K a year before tax. The car took 91% of commuters, above both Cumbria’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). 13% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot6%
Bicycle1%
13%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
33%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
0.7%
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 Summerlands than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 90%
1% live in social housing, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private renters make up 9% of households. That is the middle of 8 standard sales inside Summerlands’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
Summerlands£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £265,000 | 7 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£816
average private rent a month, Westmorland and Furness council area
£2,510
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
Violent crime runs high in Summerlands: 31.9 per 1,000 residents a year, above Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
Homes see 11.7 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 19 crimes inside Summerlands’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 58% of the total.
31.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual11
Damage & arson4
Public order2
Burglary1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Other theft0
Drugs0
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.
31.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.7
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)
19
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 Summerlands live with a disability than in Cumbria’s towns or across England’s towns: 15%
Summerlands has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.2 miles away. 4.2% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, lower than both Cumbria’s towns (6.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%). The nearest A&E to Summerlands is Royal Lancaster Infirmary, 17.1 miles away.
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Summerlands | Cumbria | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 20% | 17% |
83.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape Summerlands: 35% were built before 1919, more than in both Cumbria’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Summerlands’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
35%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
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 →Sizergh Castle and 3 more in and around Summerlands
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Summerlands. Best known first.
Castle · National TrustSizergh Castle3.7 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseLevens Hall3.9 km outside town, to the westGardenGarden · National TrustSizergh Garden3.7 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionLakeland Maze Farm Park1.4 km outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Sizergh Castle: Ian Knox, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Levens Hall: Dave Green, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Summerlands
12pages on Summerlands
The big questions
Summerlands’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LevensMilnthorpeKendalHolmeBurton-in-KendalKirkby LonsdaleArnsideSummerlands
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summerlands | 314 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Levens | 1,020 | 3.2 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Milnthorpe | 1,871 | 3.8 | — | C− | B− | B |
| Kendal | 28,939 | 4.1 | C+ | D | C− | B− |
| Holme | 1,477 | 4.5 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Burton-in-Kendal | 1,341 | 6 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Kirkby Lonsdale | 1,965 | 6.4 | — | D− | B+ | A |
| Arnside | 2,231 | 7.1 | — | D− | A+ | B+ |
Levens, Milnthorpe, Holme, Burton-in-Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale and Arnside have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Summerlands
How much is council tax in Summerlands?
Band D council tax in Summerlands is £2,510 for 2026–27, more than in 67% 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 Summerlands
Village in Cumbria, England
Summerlands is a built-up area of 314 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
- 314 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Lakeland
- County
- Cumbria
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000423
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.