Colyton’s story
65 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Colyton’s built-up area.
26% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ColytonDevon
A village of 1,938 in Devon, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,938
Census 2021 · East Devon council
Median home
£350K
84 sales in 3 years
Median age
55.7
35% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
32%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
16%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Colyton a good place to live?
Colyton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is schools (A): primary results beat 68% of towns in England; secondary results beat 100% of towns in England. Its weakest is cost of living (C): median sale £350,000, 6.6 years of area income; rent £968 a month.
Devon And Cornwall Police published 33 of the 36 months; rates are per year over the months published.
What makes Colyton stand out
The 3 things Colyton does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St Andrew; 13.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Secondary results, towns in England
Schools
Secondary results beat 100%
of towns in England, on GCSE results (Attainment 8, English and maths)
Primary results beat 68%. Department for Education.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
35% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Colyton grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Colyton is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 68% of towns in England; secondary results beat 100% of towns in EnglandAOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82.9 for men, 86.2 for womenAOpen →SafetyA−Open →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB+Open →Cost of livingCOpen →WalkabilityBOpen →Jobs & incomeMean household income £52,141; 1.6% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History26% of homes built before 1919AOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 79% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA+Open →Civic life5.7 local charities per 1,000 residents; 100% live within 1 km of a libraryA+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Colyton Heritage Centre and 12 more in and around Colyton
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Colyton. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumColyton Heritage Centrein town
CastleColcombe Castle300 m outside town, to the north
Historic house · National TrustShute Barton3 km outside town, to the north
Historic siteBeer Quarry Caves4.8 km outside town, to the southwest
FortMusbury Castle2.7 km outside town, to the east
AttractionPecorama4.5 km outside town, to the southwest
CastleColcombe Castle300 m outside town, to the northHistoric house · National TrustShute Barton3 km outside town, to the northHistoric siteBeer Quarry Caves4.8 km outside town, to the southwestFortMusbury Castle2.7 km outside town, to the eastAttractionPecorama4.5 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Colcombe Castle: Rev. John Swete, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Shute Barton: own photo, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Beer Quarry Caves: Sarah Charlesworth, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Musbury Castle: Martin Bodman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pecorama: John M, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Colyton.
Who lives here
Colyton skews older, with 35% of residents 65 or over, more than Devon’s towns or England’s towns
On this, Colyton is above both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.3% of the town. Colyton has a median age of 55.7.
55.7median age
ColytonDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
35%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level32%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Colyton | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 35% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.2% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsA
Results at Colyton’s schools beat 89% of towns in England
Its one school is below.
ASchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colyton Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 150 | B− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
More buildings in Colyton are listed than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 335 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
In the comparison, Colyton comes above both Devon’s towns (104) and England’s towns (39). Colyton’s listed buildings include Church of St Andrew, Grade I. Colyton has 65 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*.
65listed buildingsAHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*1
Grade II63
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Andrew Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
26%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
335
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Health
Life expectancy in Colyton is longer than in 89% of UK towns
Women here live to 86.2 on average and men to 82.9 (2019–23). At the census, 77% of people in Colyton called their health good or very good, below both Devon’s towns (80%) and England’s towns (82%). Colyton has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.8 miles away.
77%good or very good healthAHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 77%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Colyton | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.4% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
82.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Safety
Burglary and damage are rarer in Colyton than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 4.1 per 1,000 residents a year
For Colyton, that is below both Devon’s towns (7.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 56 crimes inside Colyton’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 7 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 64% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
18.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 60% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual36
Damage & arson7
Other theft6
Public order5
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Anti-social7
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.
18.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
56
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C
Private renting is less common in Colyton than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 15%
Colyton sits below both Devon’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (21%) on this measure. Owners make up 68% of households.
£350Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Colyton£350K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £480,000 | 37 |
| Semi-detached | £345,000 | 12 |
| Terraced | £290,000 | 33 |
68%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£968
average private rent a month, East Devon council area
£2,543
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Only 16% of commuters in Colyton go to work without a car, fewer than in Devon’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Colyton below both Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (27%). The car carried 81% of commuters at the census.
16%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving81%
On foot12%
Bicycle3%
Bus1%
39%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
26%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B
Walkability: more walkable than 63% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Colyton
15pages on Colyton
The big questions
SafetyA−18.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingCMedian home £350K · rent £968 a monthHousing23 sold in 12 months · busiest street Burnards Field RoadSchoolsA1 state schoolHealthALife expectancy 82.9 (men), 86.2 (women)Work & commuteC+48% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB+0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Famous people from Colyton
5 notable people were born in Colyton.
R
Rex RichardsBritish scientist and academic (1922–2019)P
Peter WoodEnglish theatre and film director (1927-2016)G
George Eyre EvansWelsh Unitarian minister and antiquary (1857 -1939)P
Patrick MermagenEnglish cricketer (1911-1984)Photo credits
Sir George Yonge, 5th Baronet: Edmund Scott, published by Samuel William Fores, after Mather Brown, Public domain
Colyton’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
SeatonBeerAxminsterUplymeLyme RegisHonitonCharmouthColyton
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colyton | 1,938 | — | — | C | A− | A |
| Seaton | 7,429 | 1.9 | B+ | C+ | B | B− |
| Beer | 1,280 | 3.1 | — | C+ | A− | A |
| Axminster | 6,094 | 4.6 | D | B | D | C+ |
| Uplyme | 1,053 | 5 | — | C− | A | A |
| Lyme Regis | 3,741 | 5.8 | C | D− | B− | B+ |
| Honiton | 12,155 | 6.7 | C+ | B− | C+ | B− |
| Charmouth | 1,337 | 7.3 | — | D− | A− | B+ |
Beer, Uplyme and Charmouth have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Colyton
How many listed buildings are there in Colyton?
That is 13.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Andrew.
Are schools in Colyton good?
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat almost all towns in England. Primary results beat 68%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Devon council.
Is Colyton safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
About Colyton
Village in Devon, England
Colyton is a built-up area of 1,938 people, in the East 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
- 1,938 (Census 2021)
- Council
- East Devon
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006695
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.