Ashford’s story
3 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Ashford’s built-up area.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
AshfordDevon
A village of 297 in Devon, South West. 3 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Lewis Clarke · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
297
Census 2021 · North Devon council
Median age
57.9
39% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
43%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
20%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Ashford a good place to live?
Ashford has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Ashford stand out
The 3 things Ashford does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
3 listed buildings
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Peter; 4.1 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
39% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
67% 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 Ashford.
Who lives here
Ashford skews older, with 39% of residents 65 or over, more than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
7.4% of the population is aged 15 to 24, lower than both Devon’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%), and the under-15s are 14% of the population here. Ages in Ashford split evenly at 57.9: half are older, half younger. Among adults, 43% have a degree.
57.9median age
AshfordDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
39%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level43%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Ashford | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 39% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.8% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Benefit claims run higher in Ashford, 3.9% of 16 to 64s, than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
20% of commuters left the car at home at the census, walking, cycling or taking public transport. Of the commuters living in Ashford, 4% work in the town itself. There are 0.7 jobs in Ashford for each resident in work. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 61%, higher than both Devon’s towns (51%) and England’s towns (45%).
20%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving78%
On foot9%
Bicycle6%
Bus3%
Train2%
61%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
3.9%
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 Ashford than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 83%
Private renters make up 15% of households, below Devon’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. That is the middle of 7 standard sales inside Ashford’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
Ashford£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £762,500 | 6 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£846
average private rent a month, North Devon council area
£2,557
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
Ashford records less violent crime per resident than Devon’s towns or England’s towns, at 13.5 per 1,000 a year
Of all the crimes, 21% were violence and sexual offences. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 14 crimes inside Ashford’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.5 reports per 1,000, below Devon’s towns (5.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
13.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Damage & arson4
Violence & sexual3
Other theft3
Other crime2
Shoplifting1
Public order1
Burglary0
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.
13.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.5
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 · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Health
Just 2.4% of people in Ashford say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
Disability touches 15% of Ashford’s population. 88% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above Devon’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 2.1 miles off.
88%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Ashford | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.4% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 21% | 17% |
79.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Much of Ashford is a conservation area: 38% of its land, more than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
8% of homes date from before 1919. Ashford counts 3 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*. Per 10,000 residents, Ashford counts 101 listed buildings.
3listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II2
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Peter Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
8%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
101
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 →Barnstaple Castle and 5 more in and around Ashford
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ashford. Best known first.
CastleBarnstaple Castle2.6 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumMuseum of Barnstaple & North Devon3.1 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumMuseum of British Surfing4.3 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumSt Anne's Chapel2.9 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumBraunton and District Museum4.3 km outside town, to the westHistoric houseHistoric houseTawstock Castle4.6 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Barnstaple Castle: Jack1956, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon: Jack1956, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Museum of British Surfing: Rodw, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ashford
12pages on Ashford
The big questions
Ashford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BickingtonChivenor and WraftonBarnstapleFremingtonBrauntonLandkeyAppledoreAshford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashford | 297 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bickington | 2,105 | 1.7 | — | D | B+ | B |
| Chivenor and Wrafton | 1,953 | 1.9 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
| Barnstaple | 31,271 | 2.3 | D | C | D | C |
| Fremington | 5,229 | 2.5 | B− | D | A− | B− |
| Braunton | 6,610 | 3 | B | D | B+ | B |
| Landkey | 2,001 | 4.8 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Appledore | 1,711 | 5.3 | — | D− | B | C+ |
Bickington, Chivenor and Wrafton, Landkey and Appledore have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ashford
How many listed buildings are there in Ashford?
3 on Historic England’s list, 1 of them Grade II*. That is 4.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Ashford?
Band D council tax in Ashford is £2,557 for 2026–27, more than in 78% 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 Ashford
Village in Devon, England
Ashford is a built-up area of 297 people, in the North Devon 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
- 297 (Census 2021)
- Council
- North Devon
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005940
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.