Instow’s story
20 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Instow’s built-up area.
43% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
InstowDevon
A village of 400 in Devon, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Rosser1954 · Public domain
Population
400
Census 2021 · North Devon council
Median home
£475K
27 sales in 3 years
Median age
60.5
42% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
42%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Instow a good place to live?
Instow has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Instow stand out
The 3 things Instow does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 20.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
42% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Instow.
Who lives here
Instow skews older, with 42% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Devon’s towns and England’s towns
6.3% of residents are 15 to 24, lower than both Devon’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). The share of residents under 15 is 8.6%. The median resident of Instow is 60.5 years old.
60.5median age
InstowDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
42%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level42%
Women and men · all residents
58% women, 42% men
About 72 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.
| Instow | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.6% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 42% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.5% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Instow: just 16% travel under 5 km, below Devon’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Instow has 1.6 jobs. The car took 88% of commuters, above both Devon’s towns (73%) and England’s towns (70%). Work in town: 2% of resident commuters.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot7%
Bus4%
16%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
2.3%
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
A home in Instow sells for £475K, more than in both Devon’s towns and England’s towns
7% live in social housing, below both Devon’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Private tenants account for just over a quarter of households. Owners make up 67% of households.
£475Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Instow£475K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £625,000 | 10 |
| Terraced | £425,000 | 9 |
| Flat or maisonette | £305,000 | 5 |
67%
of households own their home · England 61%
26%
rent privately · England 21%
£846
average private rent a month, North Devon council area
£2,563
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
Instow records more burglary and damage per resident than Devon’s towns or England’s towns, at 13.6 per 1,000 a year
Violence comes to 30.9 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 28 crimes inside Instow’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 2 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 8.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above Devon’s towns (5.7) and close to England’s towns (7.8).
30.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual18
Damage & arson4
Public order4
Other theft1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Anti-social2
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.
30.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
28
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
Fewer people in Instow say their health is good than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 76%
The nearest A&E to Instow is North Devon District Hospital, 6 miles away. Just over a fifth of residents in Instow live with a disability. Add to that, at the census, 6.8% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, higher than both Devon’s towns (5.9%) and England’s towns (5.2%). There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 2.1 miles off.
76%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 76%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Instow | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 76% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.8% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 22% | 21% | 17% |
81.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More buildings in Instow are listed than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 500 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 20 listed buildings in Instow, every one Grade II. Homes built before 1919 account for 43% of the housing. Also worth knowing: of the town’s land, 31% lies in conservation areas, above both Devon’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (7%).
20listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II20
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
43%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
500
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 →North Devon Maritime Museum and 5 more in and around Instow
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Instow. Best known first.
MuseumNorth Devon Maritime Museum800 m outside town, to the southwest
CastleTapeley Park900 m outside town, to the south
MuseumBurton at Bideford3.4 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumBideford Railway Heritage Centre4.5 km outside town, to the southwestPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustBurrough Farm1.7 km outside town, to the southwestTheme parkTheme parkPebble Ridge Adventure Golf and Go Karts3.8 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 (3)
- North Devon Maritime Museum: Rob Noble, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tapeley Park: Richard Croft, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Burton at Bideford: User:Jack1956, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Instow
13pages on Instow
The big questions
Safety30.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £475K · rent £846 a monthHousing3 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81.3 (men), 84.1 (women)Work & commute46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.5% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Instow’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
AppledoreNorthamFremingtonWestward Ho!Chivenor and WraftonBidefordBrauntonInstow
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instow | 400 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Appledore | 1,711 | 0.9 | — | D− | B | C+ |
| Northam | 5,191 | 2 | C | D− | A− | C+ |
| Fremington | 5,229 | 2 | B− | D | A− | B− |
| Westward Ho! | 3,468 | 2.8 | D− | D | C | B− |
| Chivenor and Wrafton | 1,953 | 2.9 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
| Bideford | 19,493 | 3.1 | D− | C− | C− | C |
| Braunton | 6,610 | 3.5 | B | D | B+ | B |
Appledore and Chivenor and Wrafton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Instow
How many listed buildings are there in Instow?
That is 20.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Instow expensive to live in?
By type: flats £305,000, terraced houses £425,000 and detached houses £625,000. Private rents in the North Devon council area averaged £846 a month in August 2026.
About Instow
Village in Devon, England
Instow is a built-up area of 400 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
- 400 (Census 2021)
- Council
- North Devon
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006043
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.