Sixpenny Handley’s story
5 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Sixpenny Handley’s built-up area.
32% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Sixpenny HandleyDorset
A village in Dorset, South West, home to 653 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
653
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median home
£375K
25 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.5
27% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
36%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sixpenny Handley a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Sixpenny Handley has no grades; its figures are still real. It has 5 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. Just over one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Over-65s are 27% of the population.
What makes Sixpenny Handley stand out
The 3 things Sixpenny Handley does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Mary; 3.1 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
27% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sixpenny Handley.
Who lives here
Sixpenny Handley skews older, with 27% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
Degrees are held by 36% of adults, above both Dorset’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (34%). One in ten residents are aged 15 to 24. Ages in Sixpenny Handley split evenly at 50.5: half are older, half younger.
50.5median age
Sixpenny HandleyDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level36%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sixpenny Handley | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Commuters in Sixpenny Handley travel far: only 13% go under 5 km, fewer than in both Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Of the commuters living in Sixpenny Handley, 4% work in the town itself. The car took 88% of commuters, above Dorset’s towns (76%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Before tax, the average household brings in £61K a year.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot9%
Bus2%
13%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
32%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£61K
mean household income, before tax
2%
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 Sixpenny Handley: 12%, fewer than in both Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
10% of households rent from a council or housing body. Owners make up 77% of households, higher than both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,056 a month across the Dorset council area.
£375Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sixpenny Handley£375K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £527,500 | 16 |
| Semi-detached | £330,429 | 6 |
77%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,752
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
Sixpenny Handley records less violent crime per resident than Dorset’s towns or England’s towns, at 14.3 per 1,000 a year
38% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Sixpenny Handley logged 13 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 2 complaints of anti-social conduct. Burglary and damage come to 7.7 per 1,000 residents a year.
14.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Damage & arson4
Other theft2
Public order1
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.
14.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.2
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
Bad health is less common in Sixpenny Handley than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.2% of residents
Self-reported good health: 84% of Sixpenny Handley’s residents. The nearest A&E to Sixpenny Handley is Salisbury District Hospital, 11.2 miles away. One GP practice serves the town.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Sixpenny Handley | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 19% | 17% |
83.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
89.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape Sixpenny Handley: 32% were built before 1919, more than in both Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Sixpenny Handley has 77 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, between Dorset’s towns (100) and England’s towns (39).
5listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II4
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Mary Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
32%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
77
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 Sixpenny Handley
13pages on Sixpenny Handley
The big questions
Safety14.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £375K · rent £1,056 a monthHousing9 sold in 12 months · busiest street Frogmore MeadowsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83.5 (men), 89.4 (women)Work & commute51% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Sixpenny Handley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
PimperneVerwoodAlderholtTisburySandleheathThree Legged CrossShaftesburySixpenny Handley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sixpenny Handley | 653 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pimperne | 2,770 | 7.4 | A− | D | A+ | A+ |
| Verwood | 13,706 | 7.8 | A− | D | A | A− |
| Alderholt | 2,868 | 8 | B | D | A− | A |
| Tisbury | 2,274 | 8.5 | — | B | C+ | A |
| Sandleheath | 1,546 | 8.6 | — | D | A | A− |
| Three Legged Cross | 1,129 | 8.7 | — | D | C− | B− |
| Shaftesbury | 9,163 | 8.7 | C− | C− | C+ | B |
Tisbury, Sandleheath and Three Legged Cross have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Sixpenny Handley
How many listed buildings are there in Sixpenny Handley?
That is 3.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Sixpenny Handley?
Band D council tax in Sixpenny Handley is £2,752 for 2026–27, more than in 98% 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 Sixpenny Handley 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: semi-detached houses £330,429 and detached houses £527,500.
About Sixpenny Handley
Village in Dorset, England
Sixpenny Handley is a built-up area of 653 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
- 653 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006317
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.