Kingswear’s story
11 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Kingswear’s built-up area.
44% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
KingswearDevon
A village of 422 in Devon, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Mr Eugene Birchall · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
422
Census 2021 · South Hams council
Median home
£375K
35 sales in 3 years
Median age
64.1
48% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
51%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
28%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Kingswear a good place to live?
Kingswear has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Kingswear stand out
The 3 things Kingswear does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
48% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 10.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Own outright
Housing
62% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Dartmouth Castle and 10 more in and around Kingswear
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Kingswear. Best known first.
Castle · English HeritageDartmouth Castle500 m outside town, to the south
CastleKingswear Castle700 m outside town, to the southeast
Historic house · National TrustGreenway House3.4 km outside town, to the northwest
Castle · English HeritageBayard's Cove Fort300 m outside town, to the west
Historic house · National TrustNational Trust - Coleton Fishacre2 km outside town, to the east
Heritage railwayDartmouth Steam Railway2.5 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Dartmouth Castle: Troxx, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kingswear Castle: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Greenway House: Brian, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bayard's Cove Fort: Troxx, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- National Trust - Coleton Fishacre: Waterborough, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dartmouth Steam Railway: Geof Sheppard, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Kingswear.
Who lives here
An older town: 48% of people in Kingswear are 65 or over, more than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
5% are under 15, lower than both Devon’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 4.3% of the population. Half of Kingswear is older than 64.1, half younger. Graduates make up 51% of adults.
64.1median age
KingswearDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
48%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications9%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar12%
Degree level51%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Kingswear | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 5% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 4.3% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 10% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 48% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.3% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.5% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 12% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 51% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Commuters in Kingswear travel far: only 38% go under 5 km, fewer than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 49% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 28% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above Devon’s towns (24%) and close to England’s towns (27%). Driving is how nearly two thirds of commuters got to work at the census. 7% of commuters who live in Kingswear also work there. There are 1.6 jobs in Kingswear for each resident in work.
28%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving66%
On foot23%
Bus4%
Bicycle1%
38%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
49%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£56K
mean household income, before tax
2.1%
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
Few households rent privately in Kingswear: 11%, fewer than in Devon’s towns and across England’s towns
Social housing holds 7% of households, lower than both Devon’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Owners make up just over four in five households. Private rents average £1,012 a month across the South Hams council area.
£375Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Kingswear£375K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £372,500 | 12 |
| Flat or maisonette | £336,850 | 16 |
82%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,012
average private rent a month, South Hams council area
£2,607
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
Burglary and damage are rarer in Kingswear than in Devon’s towns or across England’s towns: 5.2 per 1,000 residents a year
Of all the crimes, 65% were violence and sexual offences. Over the year to August 2026, 20 offences were reported in Kingswear. There were 3.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Devon’s towns (5.7) and England’s towns (7.8) alike.
23.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual13
Other theft3
Damage & arson2
Bicycle theft1
Weapons1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Burglary0
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.
23.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
20
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
Disability is less common in Kingswear, 16% of residents, than in Devon’s towns and England’s towns
The nearest A&E to Kingswear is Torbay Hospital, 9.1 miles away. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1.6 miles off. At the census, 5% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, about level with England’s towns (5.2%) and below Devon’s towns (5.9%).
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Kingswear | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 21% | 17% |
83.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.5
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
Much of Kingswear is a conservation area: 97% 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.
Historic England’s list names 11 listed buildings in Kingswear, every one Grade II. 44% of homes date from before 1919. Per 10,000 residents, Kingswear counts 261 listed buildings, above Devon’s towns (105) and England’s towns (39) alike.
11listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II11
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
44%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
261
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Kingswear
14pages on Kingswear
The big questions
Safety23.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £375K · rent £1,012 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Brixham RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83.5 (men), 87.5 (women)Work & commute67% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards3.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Kingswear’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
DartmouthBrixhamStoke GabrielPaigntonMarldonTotnesChillingtonKingswear
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingswear | 422 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dartmouth | 5,260 | 1 | C− | C− | C+ | B |
| Brixham | 17,839 | 3.5 | C | D− | C+ | C |
| Stoke Gabriel | 1,340 | 4.6 | — | C− | A | A |
| Paignton | 67,509 | 6.4 | D | D− | C− | C |
| Marldon | 2,073 | 7.4 | — | C | A | A |
| Totnes | 9,217 | 7.6 | C+ | C− | C | C+ |
| Chillington | 1,074 | 7.8 | — | C | A+ | A+ |
Stoke Gabriel, Marldon and Chillington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Kingswear
How many listed buildings are there in Kingswear?
That is 10.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Kingswear expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £375,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £336,850 and terraced houses £372,500.
About Kingswear
Village in Devon, England
Kingswear is a built-up area of 422 people, in the South Hams 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
- 422 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Hams
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006969
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.