Thurlestone’s story
12 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Thurlestone’s built-up area.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ThurlestoneDevon
It is a village of 566 residents in Devon, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Geoff Pick · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
566
Census 2021 · South Hams council
Median home
£782K
40 sales in 3 years
Median age
65.4
51% are 65+ · Devon 24%
Degree level
39%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
26%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Thurlestone a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Thurlestone is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. It skews older: 51% of residents are 65 or over. Homes change hands at a median £781,500. Its listed buildings number 12, with 0 at Grade I.
What makes Thurlestone stand out
The 3 things Thurlestone does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
51% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.8 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of All Saints; 8.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Thurlestone.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Thurlestone than in Devon’s towns or England’s towns: 5.7% are under 15
Nearly two in five adults hold a degree. The 15-to-24 age group: 7.6%, below both Devon’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). The median resident of Thurlestone is 65.4 years old.
65.4median age
ThurlestoneDevonEngland
Ages · share of residents
51%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level39%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Thurlestone | Devon | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 5.7% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.6% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 8% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 51% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.6% | 6.6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 39% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Thurlestone
Thurlestone All Saints Church of England Academy’s results beat 98% of schools in England like it. Its only school is listed below. Key Stage 2 results at the one primary school within 3 km: 88% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurlestone All Saints Church of England AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 149 | A+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Thurlestone: just 29% 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.
Households had £51K a year before tax, near Devon’s towns (£52K) and lower than England’s towns (£55K). The census counted just over a third of workers working mainly from home. 19% of commuters who live in Thurlestone also work there. Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.8% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
26%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving73%
On foot21%
Bicycle3%
Underground, tram2%
Bus1%
29%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
1.8%
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 Thurlestone: 6%, fewer than in Devon’s towns and England’s towns
77% of households own their home, higher than both Devon’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,012 a month across the South Hams council area. Social housing holds 16% of households.
£782Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Thurlestone£782K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £823,000 | 26 |
| Semi-detached | £883,000 | 6 |
| Terraced | £450,000 | 5 |
77%
of households own their home · England 61%
6%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,012
average private rent a month, South Hams council area
£2,552
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
Violent crime runs high in Thurlestone: 27.6 per 1,000 residents a year, above Devon’s towns and England’s towns
Of all the crimes, 58% were violence and sexual offences. Over the year to August 2026, 36 offences were reported in Thurlestone, along with 1 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Homes see 7.1 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year.
27.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual21
Damage & arson6
Public order4
Other theft3
Burglary2
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
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.
27.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
36
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
Only 77% of people in Thurlestone say their health is good or very good, fewer than in Devon’s towns and England’s towns
The nearest A&E to Thurlestone is Derriford Hospital, 15 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.6% of the town. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 3.5 miles off.
77%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 77%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Thurlestone | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.6% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 21% | 17% |
84.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Much of Thurlestone is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than Devon’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Thurlestone counts 212 listed buildings. 27% of its homes were built before 1919, above Devon’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Grade II* covers 1 of them.
12listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II11
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of All Saints Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
27%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
212
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 Thurlestone
13pages on Thurlestone
The big questions
Safety27.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £782K · rent £1,012 a monthHousing15 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 84.1 (men), 87.6 (women)Work & commute59% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Thurlestone’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
KingsbridgeLoddiswellSalcombeModburyChillingtonYealmptonIvybridgeThurlestone
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurlestone | 566 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kingsbridge | 5,682 | 3.7 | B− | C+ | C | B− |
| Loddiswell | 1,032 | 4.3 | — | B− | B | A |
| Salcombe | 1,583 | 4.4 | — | D | B | A+ |
| Modbury | 1,687 | 5.4 | — | C− | A | A |
| Chillington | 1,074 | 7.2 | — | C | A+ | A+ |
| Yealmpton | 2,007 | 8.3 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Ivybridge | 12,485 | 8.6 | A− | C+ | B− | B+ |
Loddiswell, Salcombe, Modbury, Chillington and Yealmpton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Thurlestone
Is Thurlestone expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £450,000, semi-detached houses £883,000 and detached houses £823,000.
How many listed buildings are there in Thurlestone?
That is 8.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
About Thurlestone
Village in Devon, England
Thurlestone is a built-up area of 566 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
- 566 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Hams
- County
- Devon
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63007006
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.