Worth Matravers’s story
20 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Worth Matravers’ built-up area.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Worth MatraversDorset
With 260 residents, it is a village in Dorset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Charlesdrakew · Public domain
Population
260
Census 2021 · Dorset council
Median age
60.9
41% are 65+ · Dorset 25%
Degree level
41%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Worth Matravers a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Worth Matravers has no grades; its figures are still real. Its listed buildings number 20, with 1 at Grade I. People aged 65 and over make up 41% of residents. 14% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
What makes Worth Matravers stand out
The 3 things Worth Matravers does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Parish Church of Saint Nicholas; 31.6 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
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
14% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Museum, Fossils & Local Finds and 12 more in and around Worth Matravers
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Worth Matravers. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumMuseum, Fossils & Local Findsin town
Castle · National TrustCorfe Castle4.7 km outside town, to the north · 190K visitors a year (2010)
Heritage railwaySwanage Railway3.9 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustSpyway Dinosaur Footprints1 km outside town, to the eastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustNational Trust - Purbeck1.5 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttraction · National TrustNorman's Quarry1.8 km outside town, to the northeast
Castle · National TrustCorfe Castle4.7 km outside town, to the north · 190K visitors a year (2010)Heritage railwaySwanage Railway3.9 km outside town, to the northeastHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustSpyway Dinosaur Footprints1 km outside town, to the eastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustNational Trust - Purbeck1.5 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttraction · National TrustNorman's Quarry1.8 km outside town, to the northeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Corfe Castle: Albany E. Howarth, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Swanage Railway: LordHarris at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Worth Matravers.
Who lives here
Children make up only 6.1% of Worth Matravers, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and across England’s towns
People 65 and over make up just over two fifths of the town, above Dorset’s towns (25%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 7.7% of the town. Half of Worth Matravers is older than 60.9, half younger.
60.9median age
Worth MatraversDorsetEngland
Ages · share of residents
41%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar20%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Worth Matravers | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 6.1% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 11% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 41% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.1% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 15% of Worth Matravers’ commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Dorset’s towns and across 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.
4% of commuters who live in Worth Matravers also work there. The car carried 81% of commuters at the census. Households had £51K a year before tax, near Dorset’s towns (£52K) and lower than England’s towns (£55K). The town counts 0.9 jobs per working resident.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving81%
On foot11%
Bus1%
Train1%
15%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
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
Private renting is less common in Worth Matravers than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 10%
Home ownership stands at 78% of households. 11% live in social housing, below Dorset’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £1,056 a month across the Dorset council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Worth Matravers£0K
Typical UK town£277K
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,056
average private rent a month, Dorset council area
£2,625
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
Worth Matravers records less burglary and damage per resident than Dorset’s towns or England’s towns, at 1.3 per 1,000 a year
Per 1,000 residents, 2.6 violent crimes are recorded each year. 1 crimes and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Worth Matravers’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. There were 6.4 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Dorset’s towns (9.3) and England’s towns (7.8).
2.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Other theft1
Violence & sexual0
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
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.
2.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
1
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Bad health is less common in Worth Matravers than in Dorset’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.1% of residents
Nearly four fifths of Worth Matravers’ residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below Dorset’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.8 miles away. The nearest A&E to Worth Matravers is Poole Hospital, 9 miles away.
79%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Worth Matravers | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 19% | 17% |
81.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Worth Matravers is rich in listed buildings: 769 per 10,000 residents, more than in Dorset’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, above Dorset’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Worth Matravers’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of Saint Nicholas, Grade I. Also worth knowing: the top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
20listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II19
Among them · Grade I
- Parish Church of Saint Nicholas Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
27%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
769
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 Worth Matravers
12pages on Worth Matravers
The big questions
Worth Matravers’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
SwanageWarehamSandfordUptonPooleWoolLytchett MatraversWorth Matravers
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worth Matravers | 260 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Swanage | 9,115 | 3.1 | C− | D− | B | B− |
| Wareham | 5,876 | 7.5 | C | D− | B− | B |
| Sandford | 2,004 | 7.9 | — | D | A | B+ |
| Upton | 8,401 | 9.5 | B− | D | B | C+ |
| Poole | 141,009 | 9.9 | C+ | D | C | C+ |
| Wool | 5,044 | 11 | C | C− | B+ | C+ |
| Lytchett Matravers | 3,455 | 11 | A− | D− | A | A− |
Sandford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Worth Matravers
How many listed buildings are there in Worth Matravers?
That is 31.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of Saint Nicholas.
How much is council tax in Worth Matravers?
Band D council tax in Worth Matravers is £2,625 for 2026–27, more than in 90% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Worth Matravers
Village in Dorset, England
Worth Matravers is a built-up area of 260 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
- 260 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Dorset
- County
- Dorset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006828
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.