Spetisbury’s story
14 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Spetisbury’s built-up area.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SpetisburyDorset
A village of 587 in Dorset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Mike Faherty · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
587
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median home
£375K
25 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.4
30% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
4%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Spetisbury a good place to live?
Spetisbury has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Spetisbury stand out
The 3 things Spetisbury does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
4% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St John; 9.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
30% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Spetisbury.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Spetisbury than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 11% are under 15
People 65 and over make up 30% of the town. 8% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below Dorset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Ages in Spetisbury split evenly at 53.4: half are older, half younger. Graduates make up 37% of adults.
53.4median age
SpetisburyDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications10%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Spetisbury | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Spetisbury
There is one school here; it is shown below. Spetisbury CofE Primary School’s results beat 95% of schools in England like it. 83% of pupils at the one primary school within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spetisbury CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 187 | A+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Spetisbury than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 4%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 39% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
94% of commuters drove, above both Dorset’s towns (76%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for nearly two in five workers at the census. For 9% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
4%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving94%
On foot2%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
9%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
39%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£64K
mean household income, before tax
2.2%
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
Most households in Spetisbury own their home: 80%, more than in both Dorset’s towns and England’s towns
The median sale price was £375K, higher than both Dorset’s towns (£355K) and England’s towns (£308K). Council and housing-body homes hold 2% of households. Renting privately is how 18% of households live.
£375Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Spetisbury£375K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £410,000 | 15 |
| Terraced | £332,500 | 8 |
80%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,670
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
Spetisbury records less violent crime per resident than Dorset’s towns or England’s towns, at 6.3 per 1,000 a year
Homes saw 5.7 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Dorset’s towns (7.9) and England’s towns (9.4). Police figures for Spetisbury’s built-up area: 9 crimes and 12 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Of all the crimes, 56% were violence and sexual offences.
6.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Damage & arson1
Public order1
Other theft1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social12
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.
6.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
9
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 Spetisbury than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.1% of residents
Self-reported good health: 85% of Spetisbury’s residents. There is no GP practice locally: the nearest is 3 miles off. The nearest A&E to Spetisbury is Poole Hospital, 9.7 miles away.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Spetisbury | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 19% | 17% |
83.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More buildings in Spetisbury are listed than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 239 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Spetisbury’s listed buildings include the Church of St John, Grade I. Historic England’s list names 14 listed buildings locally: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. A quarter of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Dorset’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (16%).
14listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*1
Grade II12
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St John Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
239
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Badbury Rings and 5 more in and around Spetisbury
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Spetisbury. Best known first.
Fort · National TrustBadbury Rings4.5 km outside town, to the east
MuseumRoyal Signals Museum4.7 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttraction · National TrustWhite Mill3.9 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionHall & Woodhouse Visitor Centre3.5 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumBlandford Town Museum3.9 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumBlandford Fashion Museum4 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Badbury Rings: Simaron, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Signals Museum: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Spetisbury
13pages on Spetisbury
The big questions
Safety6.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £375K · rent £1,056 a monthHousing10 sold in 12 months · busiest street High StreetSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 83.2 (men), 86.8 (women)Work & commute57% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.9% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Spetisbury’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Charlton MarshallSturminster MarshallBlandford ForumPimperneLytchett MatraversCorfe MullenBere RegisSpetisbury
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spetisbury | 587 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Charlton Marshall | 1,084 | 1.1 | — | D | B+ | A |
| Sturminster Marshall | 1,504 | 2.9 | — | D− | A− | A |
| Blandford Forum | 11,805 | 2.9 | C | C− | C+ | B− |
| Pimperne | 2,770 | 3.5 | A− | D | A+ | A+ |
| Lytchett Matravers | 3,455 | 5 | A− | D− | A | A− |
| Corfe Mullen | 10,036 | 5.9 | A− | D− | A | A |
| Bere Regis | 1,320 | 6.3 | — | D | B | A− |
Charlton Marshall, Sturminster Marshall and Bere Regis have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Spetisbury
Who lives in Spetisbury?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 30% of residents were 65 or over and 33% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 11% were under 15.
How many listed buildings are there in Spetisbury?
That is 9.8 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St John.
How much is council tax in Spetisbury?
Band D council tax in Spetisbury is £2,670 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 Spetisbury expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £332,500 and detached houses £410,000. Private rents in the Dorset council area averaged £1,056 a month in August 2026.
About Spetisbury
Village in Dorset, England
Spetisbury is a built-up area of 587 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
- 587 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006580
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.