Fontmell Magna’s story
28 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Fontmell Magna’s built-up area.
38% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Fontmell MagnaDorset
287 residents make their home in this village in Dorset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Nigel Mykura · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
287
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median home
£449K
17 sales in 3 years
Median age
59.5
41% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
30%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Fontmell Magna a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Fontmell Magna has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 7% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 28 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. People aged 65 and over make up 41% of residents.
What makes Fontmell Magna stand out
The 3 things Fontmell Magna does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Andrew; 40 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
41% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fontmell Magna.
Who lives here
Children make up only 9.7% of Fontmell Magna, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
6.9% of the population is aged 15 to 24, lower than both Dorset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Line up the people of Fontmell Magna by age and the one in the middle is 59.5. Degrees are held by 30% of adults.
59.5median age
Fontmell MagnaDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
41%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level30%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Fontmell Magna | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.7% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 12% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 41% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Commuters in Fontmell Magna travel far: only 12% go under 5 km, fewer than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 30% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
By car: that was how nine in ten commuters travelled at the census. Jobs per working resident: 0.4. 2.1% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot6%
Bicycle1%
12%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£55K
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
Social housing is more common in Fontmell Magna than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns, at 25% of households
Renting privately is how 15% of households live. Nearly three in five households own their home, below Dorset’s towns (66%) and close to England’s towns (61%). Half of the 17 standard sales inside Fontmell Magna’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £449,000.
£449Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Fontmell Magna£449K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £540,000 | 11 |
| Semi-detached | £302,500 | 6 |
59%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,667
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
Violence is recorded more often in Fontmell Magna than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 24.4 per 1,000 residents a year
Fontmell Magna logged 13 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 3 complaints of anti-social conduct. 46% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Burglary and damage come to 9.3 per 1,000 residents a year.
24.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6
Other theft3
Burglary2
Damage & arson1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Drugs0
Anti-social3
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.
24.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
13
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 more common in Fontmell Magna than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 25% of residents
Asked at the census, three quarters of residents of Fontmell Magna said they were in good or very good health. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 5.1 miles off. The nearest A&E to Fontmell Magna is Poole Hospital, 18.6 miles away.
75%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 75%Fair 19%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Fontmell Magna | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.5% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 19% | 17% |
80.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape Fontmell Magna: 38% were built before 1919, more than in Dorset’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.
Fontmell Magna has 976 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both Dorset’s towns (100) and England’s towns (39). Grade II* covers 1 of them.
28listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II27
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Andrew Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
38%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
976
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 Fontmell Magna
13pages on Fontmell Magna
The big questions
Safety24.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £449K · rent £1,056 a monthHousing3 sold in 12 months · busiest street Sutton ViewSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 80.7 (men), 86.6 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.7% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Famous people from Fontmell Magna
3 notable people were born in Fontmell Magna.
P
Philip SalkeldEnglish military officer (1830–1857); recipient of the Vict…J
Josephine Cheesman(b. 1910, d. 1997)Photo credits
John Eliot Gardiner: Maciej Schumacher (Goździelewski), CC BY-SA 4.0
Fontmell Magna’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Child OkefordShaftesburyShillingstoneSturminster NewtonMarnhullMotcombePimperneFontmell Magna
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fontmell Magna | 287 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Child Okeford | 1,159 | 3.2 | — | D | A | A |
| Shaftesbury | 9,163 | 3.8 | C− | C− | C+ | B |
| Shillingstone | 1,165 | 4.6 | — | D− | B− | A− |
| Sturminster Newton | 3,565 | 4.8 | C− | C− | C+ | B− |
| Marnhull | 1,466 | 5.4 | — | D | A− | B |
| Motcombe | 1,366 | 5.5 | — | D− | A+ | A |
| Pimperne | 2,770 | 6.4 | A− | D | A+ | A+ |
Child Okeford, Shillingstone, Marnhull and Motcombe have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Fontmell Magna
How many listed buildings are there in Fontmell Magna?
That is 40 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Fontmell Magna?
Band D council tax in Fontmell Magna is £2,667 for 2026–27, more than in 93% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Is Fontmell Magna expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £449,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £302,500 and detached houses £540,000. Private rents in the Dorset council area averaged £1,056 a month in August 2026.
About Fontmell Magna
Village in Dorset, England
Fontmell Magna is a built-up area of 287 people, in the Dorset 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
- 287 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006327
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.