Dartmouth, #1 on this list · Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0

Devon rankings · History

Most historic towns in Devon

Dartmouth ranks first on history among Devon’s 47 towns of 2,500+; 26 of the 47 grade A− or better against UK towns.

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The rank across England and Wales sits beside each letter. How grades work

Dartmouth

5,260 people

A⁺

Better than almost every UK town·#3 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Ashburton

3,368 people

A⁺

Better than almost every UK town·#7 of 2,156 in England and Wales

Ilfracombe

9,199 people

A⁺

Better than 97% of UK towns·#40 of 2,156 in England and Wales

All 47 towns, ranked

History grade, best first; ranks are the county ranks on each town’s page (T = tied). Military garrison towns and university campuses keep their grades but aren’t ranked. Each rank across England and Wales links to the national list.

Every town in Devon →

Find a town

47 towns.

#TownGrade · UK rankCompared with UK towns

1Dartmouth5,260 peopleA⁺#3 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town

2Ashburton3,368 peopleA⁺#7 of 2,156 nationallybetter than almost every UK town

3Ilfracombe9,199 peopleA⁺#40 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns

4Topsham4,193 peopleA⁺#42 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns

5Totnes9,217 peopleA⁺#47 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 97% of UK towns

6Buckfastleigh2,720 peopleA⁺#61 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 96% of UK towns

7Torquay52,034 peopleA#85 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 95% of UK towns

8Combe Martin2,707 peopleA#97 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 94% of UK towns

9Great Torrington5,958 peopleA#117 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

10Sidmouth13,258 peopleA#124 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

11Kingsbridge5,682 peopleA#126 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

12Crediton7,971 peopleA#131 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 92% of UK towns

13Bideford19,493 peopleA#134 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns

14Teignmouth15,314 peopleA#143 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 91% of UK towns

15Barnstaple31,271 peopleA#157 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 90% of UK towns

16Tavistock12,676 peopleA#230 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns

17Brixham17,839 peopleA#234 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 87% of UK towns

18Tiverton19,710 peopleA#252 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 86% of UK towns

19South Molton6,226 peopleA⁻#286 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 84% of UK towns

20Exeter126,181 peopleA⁻#323 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 83% of UK towns

21Bovey Tracey6,241 peopleA⁻#326 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 83% of UK towns

22Newton Abbot29,650 peopleA⁻#346 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

23Chudleigh4,372 peopleA⁻#362 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 81% of UK towns

24Plymouth266,970 peopleA⁻#365 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 80% of UK towns

25Dawlish11,800 peopleA⁻#381 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 79% of UK towns

26Ottery St Mary6,043 peopleA⁻#472 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns

27Exmouth35,502 peopleB⁺#480 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 75% of UK towns

28Budleigh Salterton5,237 peopleB⁺#515 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 73% of UK towns

29Paignton67,509 peopleB⁺#529 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 73% of UK towns

30Axminster6,094 peopleB⁺#545 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

31Braunton6,610 peopleB⁺#551 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 72% of UK towns

32Cullompton8,895 peopleB⁺#619 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 69% of UK towns

33Honiton12,155 peopleB⁺#664 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 67% of UK towns

34Northam5,191 peopleB⁺#679 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 66% of UK towns

35South Brent2,643 peopleB#793 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 61% of UK towns

36Kingskerswell3,761 peopleB#870 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 58% of UK towns

37Okehampton9,108 peopleB#875 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 57% of UK towns

38Holsworthy3,472 peopleB⁻#928 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 55% of UK towns

39Exminster4,388 peopleB⁻#968 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 53% of UK towns

40Kingsteignton11,945 peopleB⁻#1,037 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 50% of UK towns

41Seaton7,429 peopleC⁺#1,218 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 42% of UK towns

42Fremington5,229 peopleC⁺#1,270 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 40% of UK towns

43Ivybridge12,485 peopleC⁻#1,614 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 23% of UK towns

44Willand3,477 peopleC⁻#1,666 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 21% of UK towns

45Cranbrook4,936 peopleC⁻#1,770 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 17% of UK towns

46Westward Ho!3,468 peopleD#1,940 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 9% of UK towns

47West Clyst2,683 peopleD⁻#2,041 of 2,156 nationallybetter than 5% of UK towns

Quick answers

Questions people ask

What is the most historic town in Devon?

Dartmouth ranks first on history among 47 towns, with an A+: better than almost every UK town. Ashburton and Ilfracombe follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The History Grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): listed buildings, monuments and registered parks (Historic England, Cadw), per resident and as a count, and homes built before 1919. The letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

Garrison towns and university campuses aren’t ranked, and towns without the figures this grade needs are counted above. The list covers Devon’s towns of 2,500+ with the figure. Smaller places show it on their own pages; every town in Devon is on the county page.

Go deeper

More Devon lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Devon rankings →

Best places to live47 towns · #1 Ivybridge Best small towns30 towns · #1 Ottery St Mary Most affordable towns47 towns · #1 Tiverton Safest towns47 towns · #1 Budleigh Salterton Towns with the best schools47 towns · #1 Ivybridge Healthiest towns47 towns · #1 Ottery St Mary Best towns for jobs & income47 towns · #1 Ivybridge Most walkable towns47 towns · #1 Exeter Towns with the lowest flood risk47 towns · #1 West Clyst and Willand Best towns for the outdoors47 towns · #1 Plymouth Towns with the most civic life47 towns · #1 Holsworthy Towns with the highest household incomes47 towns · #1 CranbrookDescribed, no letters Towns with the lowest council tax47 towns · #1 PlymouthDescribed, no letters Towns with the mildest winters47 towns · #1 IlfracombeDescribed, no letters Towns with the warmest summers47 towns · #1 Exminster and TopshamDescribed, no letters Towns with the coolest summers47 towns · #1 Combe MartinDescribed, no letters Towns with the fewest frosts47 towns · #1 IlfracombeDescribed, no letters Driest towns47 towns · #1 ExmouthDescribed, no letters Wettest towns47 towns · #1 BuckfastleighDescribed, no letters

Sources: 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 · Cadw listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered historic parks and gardens via DataMapWales, 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.