Three Legged Cross’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Three Legged Cross’ built-up area.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Three Legged CrossDorset
A village of 1,129 in Dorset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Chris Downer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,129
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median home
£375K
49 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.3
29% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
24%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Three Legged Cross a good place to live?
Three Legged Cross has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is cost of living (D): median sale £375,000, 7.2 years of area income; rent £1,056 a month.
What makes Three Legged Cross stand out
The 3 things Three Legged Cross does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
29% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.4 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
How Three Legged Cross grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Three Legged Cross is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Cost of livingDOpen →Hazard riskAOpen →SafetyC−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 72% of towns in EnglandA−Open →Jobs & income3.2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsCOpen →WalkabilityC+Open →HealthLife expectancy 81.9 for men, 84.3 for womenB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History1 listed buildingDOpen →Outdoors77% live within 400 m of a park; 1% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeCOpen →Civic life3.5 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryB−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Three Legged Cross.
Who lives here
An older town: 29% of people in Three Legged Cross are 65 or over, more than in Dorset’s towns and across England’s towns
Ages in Three Legged Cross split evenly at 48.3: half are older, half younger. The 15-to-24 age group: 9.5%, lower than both Dorset’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Children under 15 make up 17% of residents.
48.3median age
Three Legged CrossDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
29%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level24%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 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.
| Three Legged Cross | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.1% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsA−
Exam results at Three Legged Cross’s schools top 76% of towns in England
Nearly two thirds of pupils at the 3 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its only school is listed below.
A−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Legged Cross First and Nursery SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 84 | – |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Three Legged Cross’s one listed building is Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
For its size, Three Legged Cross has 9 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Homes from before 1919 make up 7% of the total, below Dorset’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (16%) alike.
1listed buildingsDHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
7%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
9
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade D
Few households rent privately in Three Legged Cross: 10%, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and across England’s towns
Social housing holds just over a fifth of households, above both Dorset’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (18%). Just over two thirds of households own their home. The £375,000 median rests on 49 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£375Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Three Legged Cross£375K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £427,500 | 28 |
| Semi-detached | £345,000 | 17 |
68%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,697
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
Homes in Three Legged Cross see more burglary and damage than in Dorset’s towns or England’s towns: 21 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences made up 38% of the total. Violent crime ran at 33.4 per 1,000 residents a year, above both Dorset’s towns (16.7) and England’s towns (22). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 82 crimes and 37 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Three Legged Cross’s built-up area.
33.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearC−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 7% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual31
Damage & arson19
Other theft9
Shoplifting6
Public order4
Burglary4
Vehicle crime3
Other crime3
Anti-social37
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.
33.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
21
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
23.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
82
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Under 5 km to work: 29% in Three Legged Cross, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 26% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 12% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Dorset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 3.2%. Of the commuters living in Three Legged Cross, 7% work in the town itself. Income per household averages £59K a year, before tax.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving84%
On foot9%
Bicycle3%
Bus1%
29%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
26%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
3.2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C+
Walkability: more walkable than 41% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
More people in Three Legged Cross live with a disability than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 26%
There is no GP practice in Three Legged Cross: the nearest is 1.8 miles off. Of the 52 towns in Dorset, Three Legged Cross has the largest share in bad or very bad health: 10%. At the census, 74% of people in Three Legged Cross called their health good or very good, lower than both Dorset’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to Three Legged Cross is The Royal Bournemouth Hospital, 7.8 miles away.
74%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 74%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 10%
| Census 2021 | Three Legged Cross | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 10% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 26% | 19% | 17% |
81.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.3
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.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Somerley and 2 more in and around Three Legged Cross
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Three Legged Cross. Best known first.
Historic houseSomerley4.2 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionDorset Heavy Horse Centre4 km outside town, to the northArt galleryArt galleryOld Fine Art Gallery4.5 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Somerley: Somerley_House.JPG: Wulfrunian1 derivative work: Pasicles, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Three Legged Cross
14pages on Three Legged Cross
The big questions
SafetyC−33.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £375K · rent £1,056 a monthHousing12 sold in 12 months · busiest street Church RoadSchoolsA−1 state schoolHealthB−Life expectancy 81.9 (men), 84.3 (women)Work & commuteC50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Three Legged Cross’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
VerwoodWest MoorsAshley HeathFerndownWest ParleyRingwoodAlderholtThree Legged Cross
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Legged Cross | 1,129 | — | — | D | C− | B− |
| Verwood | 13,706 | 1.6 | A− | D | A | A− |
| West Moors | 10,432 | 2.4 | C− | D | B+ | B− |
| Ashley Heath | 7,151 | 2.5 | B | D− | A− | A |
| Ferndown | 13,267 | 3.5 | B− | D− | A− | B+ |
| West Parley | 3,665 | 4.5 | A | D− | A | A |
| Ringwood | 12,789 | 4.7 | B− | C− | C | B+ |
| Alderholt | 2,868 | 4.7 | B | D | A− | A |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Three Legged Cross
How much is council tax in Three Legged Cross?
Band D council tax in Three Legged Cross is £2,697 for 2026–27, more than in 95% 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.
Are schools in Three Legged Cross good?
Primary results beat 72% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Dorset council.
About Three Legged Cross
Village in Dorset, England
Three Legged Cross is a built-up area of 1,129 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
- 1,129 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006532
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.