Bonsall’s story
8 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Bonsall’s built-up area.
81% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BonsallDerbyshire
A village of 277 in Derbyshire, East Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Market Cross · Photo: Andrew Hill · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
277
Census 2021 · Derbyshire Dales council
Median home
£229K
12 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.6
28% are 65+ · Derbyshire 20%
Degree level
41%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Bonsall a good place to live?
Bonsall has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Bonsall stand out
The 3 things Bonsall does most differently from other towns.
Homes built before 1919
History
81% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
49% of commuters travel under 5 km.
Own outright
Housing
54% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Riber Castle and 17 more in and around Bonsall
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bonsall. Best known first.
Historic houseRiber Castle2.6 km outside town, to the east
Theme parkGulliver's Kingdom900 m outside town, to the east
Heritage railwayPeak Rail2.4 km outside town, to the northeast
Heritage railwaySteeple Grange Light Railway1.7 km outside town, to the south
MuseumNational Stone Centre1.9 km outside town, to the south
MuseumPeak District Mining Museum1 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Riber Castle: AxG at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Gulliver's Kingdom: PLTRON, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peak Rail: Beryl Allcoat, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Steeple Grange Light Railway: Eamon Curry from Derby, England, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Stone Centre: Peter Barr, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peak District Mining Museum: Fleur Piercy, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bonsall.
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Bonsall than in Derbyshire’s towns or England’s towns: 10%
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.
On this, Bonsall is below both Derbyshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (27%). 90% of commuters drove to work at the census.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot8%
Bus1%
49%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
36%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£49K
mean household income, before tax
2.2%
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 Bonsall than in Derbyshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 74%
In the comparison, Bonsall comes above both Derbyshire’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 5% of households.
£229Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bonsall£229K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £240,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £205,000 | 5 |
74%
of households own their home · England 61%
21%
rent privately · England 21%
£819
average private rent a month, Derbyshire Dales council area
£2,462
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 low in Bonsall: 14.4 per 1,000 residents a year, under Derbyshire’s towns and England’s towns
For Bonsall, that is below both Derbyshire’s towns (25.7) and England’s towns (22). Homes see 6 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 14 crimes inside Bonsall’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1 reports of anti-social behaviour.
14.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual8
Damage & arson4
Public order2
Shoplifting0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
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.
14.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
14
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
Is Bonsall a healthy place? 87% of its people say their health is good, above Derbyshire’s towns and England’s towns
Bonsall sits above both Derbyshire’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%) on this measure. Bonsall has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.8 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.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Bonsall | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 20% | 17% |
79
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
Bonsall keeps more of its old housing than Derbyshire or England’s towns: 81% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
That puts Bonsall above both Derbyshire’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (16%). Bonsall has 289 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Bonsall has 8 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 2 Grade II*.
8listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II6
Among them · Grade II*
- Market Cross Grade II*
- Parish Church of St James Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
81%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
289
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
Bonsall has fewer young adults than Derbyshire’s towns or England’s towns: 4.6% are 15 to 24
People 65 and over make up 28% of the town, above both Derbyshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). The median resident of Bonsall is 52.6 years old. Degrees are held by 41% of adults.
52.6median age
BonsallDerbyshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
28%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 105 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bonsall | Derbyshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 4.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 6.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Derbyshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bonsall
14pages on Bonsall
The big questions
Safety14.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £229K · rent £819 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 months · busiest street High StreetSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 79 (men), 85.2 (women)Work & commute55% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Bonsall’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
CromfordMatlockWirksworthTansleyDarley DaleCrichSouth WingfieldBonsall
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonsall | 277 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cromford | 1,395 | 1.5 | — | A | A− | C+ |
| Matlock | 11,990 | 2 | B+ | A | C | B− |
| Wirksworth | 4,904 | 2.9 | B | A | C+ | B− |
| Tansley | 1,176 | 2.9 | — | B | A | B+ |
| Darley Dale | 3,985 | 3.1 | A− | A− | B | B− |
| Crich | 2,070 | 5.1 | — | C+ | B+ | B+ |
| South Wingfield | 1,079 | 6.4 | — | A− | B− | B+ |
Cromford, Tansley, Crich and South Wingfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bonsall
How many listed buildings are there in Bonsall?
That is 11.9 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Bonsall expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £229,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £205,000 and semi-detached houses £240,000. Private rents in the Derbyshire Dales council area averaged £819 a month in August 2026.
Who lives in Bonsall?
At the 2021 Census, 4.6% of Bonsall’s 277 residents were 15 to 24 and 28% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
About Bonsall
Village in Derbyshire, England
Bonsall is a built-up area of 277 people, in the Derbyshire Dales 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
- 277 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Derbyshire Dales
- County
- Derbyshire
- Region
- East Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001766
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.