Bow’s story
26 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Bow’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BowDevon
A village of 1,122 in Devon, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Martin Bodman · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,122
Census 2021 · Mid Devon council
Median home
£257K
45 sales in 3 years
Median age
46.8
22% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
24%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Bow a good place to live?
Bow has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is safety (A): 11.7 violent and sexual offences and 5.5 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is schools (D−): primary results beat 3% of towns in England. The median home sold for £257,000 in the last three years, 5 times what households in the Mid Devon council area earn in a year.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
What makes Bow stand out
The 3 things Bow does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Barakel and Riddaway's Stores; 9.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Primary results, towns in England
Schools
Primary results trail 97%
of towns in England, on Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths
Department for Education.
How Bow grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Bow is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 3% of towns in EnglandD−Open →SafetyAOpen →HealthLife expectancy 83.8 for men, 86.1 for womenA−Open →WalkabilityCOpen →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB+Open →Cost of livingB+Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £52,315; 1% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryAOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 1.9 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsCOpen →Civic life4.5 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryBOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bow.
SchoolsD−
Results at Bow’s schools are among the lowest in England
There is one school here; it is shown below. At the one primary school within 3 km, 45% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). 133 pupils attend Bow’s one primary school.
D−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bow Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 133 | D |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Much of Bow is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than in both Devon’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.
Homes from before 1919 make up 37% of the total, higher than both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (16%). Per 10,000 residents, Bow counts 232 listed buildings. This Devon town counts 26 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*.
26listed buildingsAHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II25
Among them · Grade II*
- Barakel and Riddaway's Stores Grade II*
1
scheduled monument
0
registered parks and gardens
37%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
232
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Fewer crimes per resident in Bow than in 89% of UK towns
22 crimes and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Bow’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 2.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Devon’s towns (5.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Violence and sexual offences made up 64% of the total.
11.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearASafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 79% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual14
Damage & arson4
Vehicle crime2
Public order1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Other theft0
Drugs0
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.
11.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
22
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
Bow’s life expectancy beats 91% of UK towns
There is no GP practice in Bow: the nearest is 0.5 miles off. At the census, 83% of people in Bow called their health good or very good, above Devon’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.4% of the town. The nearest A&E to Bow is Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital (Wonford), 14.7 miles away.
83%good or very good healthA−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Bow | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.4% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 21% | 17% |
83.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Fewer commuters in Bow work nearby than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 15% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
One in ten commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Working mainly from home: just over a fifth of workers, below Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. Driving is how 87% of commuters got to work at the census.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot7%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
Train1%
15%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
22%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
1%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 27% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade B+
More households own their home in Bow than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 68%
Social housing holds nearly one in ten households, lower than both Devon’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £878 a month across the Mid Devon council area. The private rented sector houses 23% of households.
£257Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bow£257K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £355,000 | 17 |
| Semi-detached | £235,000 | 9 |
| Terraced | £210,000 | 19 |
68%
of households own their home · England 61%
23%
rent privately · England 21%
£878
average private rent a month, Mid Devon council area
£2,580
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Who lives here
Fewer people in Bow hold a degree than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 24%
Residents of Bow have a median age of 46.8. One in ten residents are aged 15 to 24. People 65 and over make up 22% of the town, near Devon’s towns (24%) and higher than England’s towns (18%). Under 15: 17% of residents.
46.8median age
BowDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level24%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bow | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.8% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.9% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bow
14pages on Bow
The big questions
SafetyA11.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £257K · rent £878 a monthHousing16 sold in 12 months · busiest street Iter ParkSchoolsD−1 state schoolHealthA−Life expectancy 83.8 (men), 86.1 (women)Work & commuteB−46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB+0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Bow
3 notable people were born in Bow.
P
Pat ParkerEnglish footballer (1929-2014)Photo credits
Charles James Blomfield: Elliott & Fry (no individual credited), Public domain
Bow’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
CopplestoneNorth TawtonMorchard BishopWinkleighCreditonChulmleighChagfordBow
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 1,122 | — | — | B+ | A | A− |
| Copplestone | 1,475 | 3.2 | — | B | B+ | B |
| North Tawton | 1,785 | 3.5 | — | C+ | B− | C+ |
| Morchard Bishop | 1,041 | 4.8 | — | C+ | A+ | B+ |
| Winkleigh | 1,342 | 6.9 | — | D | A− | B |
| Crediton | 7,971 | 7 | C+ | B | C− | C+ |
| Chulmleigh | 1,232 | 8.3 | — | C | B | B |
| Chagford | 1,107 | 8.7 | — | D | A | B |
Copplestone, North Tawton, Morchard Bishop, Winkleigh, Chulmleigh and Chagford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bow
Are schools in Bow good?
One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Devon council.
How many listed buildings are there in Bow?
That is 9.5 times the typical UK town for its size. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
About Bow
Village in Devon, England
Bow is a built-up area of 1,122 people, in the Mid 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
- 1,122 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mid Devon
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006605
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.