Alresford’s story
5 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Alresford’s built-up area.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
AlresfordEssex
51% of households own their home with no mortgage. Home to 2,462 people, this village lies in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Roger W Haworth · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,462
Census 2021 · Tendring council
Median home
£340K
127 sales in 3 years
Median age
46.2
27% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Alresford a good place to live?
Police record less crime here than in most towns: 18.7 violent and sexual offences and 7.7 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year. Prices are high against local incomes (D−): homes sell for a median £340,000, about 7.6 times local household income. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work: just over one in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for schools, B− for health, B for jobs & income and B for hazard risk.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021 · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency. Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Alresford has its subject grades alone.
WeakestD−Cost of living
What makes Alresford stand out
The 3 things Alresford does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Own outright
Housing
51% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
27% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Alresford grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Alresford is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Alresford has its subject grades alone.
Cost of livingRent £1,053 a monthD−Open →Walkability11% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transportCOpen →SafetyLess crime than in most townsB+Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £57,083BOpen →Hazard risk0.1% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaBOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 45% of towns in EnglandC+Open →HealthLife expectancy 80.7 for men, 82.6 for womenB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryIn the bottom fifth of the towns comparedDOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 1.3 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsB−Open →Civic life2 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryCOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Alresford.
HousingCost of living grade D−
More households own their home in Alresford than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 85%
3% live in social housing, lower than both Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how 9% of households live. The median sale, £340,000, comes from 127 standard sales inside Alresford’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
£340Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Alresford£340K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £415,000 | 56 |
| Semi-detached | £315,000 | 61 |
| Flat or maisonette | £140,600 | 8 |
85%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,053
average private rent a month, Tendring council area
£2,321
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
SchoolsC+
Results at Alresford’s schools trail 56% of towns in England
61% of pupils at the 6 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. 216 pupils attend Alresford’s one primary school.
C+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alresford Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 216 | B |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Who lives here
An older town: 27% of people in Alresford are 65 or over, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
Degrees are held by 26% of adults, close to Essex’s towns (27%) and below England’s towns (34%). Children are 16% of the town. At 46.2, the median resident of Alresford sits in the middle of the age range. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for nearly a tenth of the town.
46.2median age
AlresfordEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship9%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Alresford | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
History
All 5 of Alresford’s listed buildings are Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The pre-1919 share of homes is 7%. Relative to its size, Alresford keeps 20 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, below Essex’s towns (52) and England’s towns (39) alike.
5listed buildingsDHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II5
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
7%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
20
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Long commutes are the norm in Alresford: just 19% travel under 5 km, below Essex’s towns and 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.
86% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 2% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below both Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). For every resident in work, Alresford has 0.3 jobs.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving86%
On foot4%
Train3%
Bicycle2%
Bus1%
19%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£57K
mean household income, before tax
2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 30% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Alresford records less crime per resident than 66% of UK towns
Over the year to August 2026, 111 offences were reported in Alresford, along with 15 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences made up 54% of the total. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.6 reports per 1,000, lower than both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8).
18.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 45% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual60
Public order12
Other theft10
Damage & arson5
Burglary5
Drugs5
Other crime5
Vehicle crime4
Anti-social15
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.
18.7
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
2.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
111
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
Good or very good health: 83% of Alresford’s residents
Seeing a GP means leaving Alresford: the nearest practice is 1.7 miles away. The nearest A&E to Alresford is Colchester General Hospital, 5.8 miles away. Also worth knowing: at the census, 18% of people here had a disability, about level with England’s towns (17%) and above Essex’s towns (17%).
83%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Alresford | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
80.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Beth Chatto Gardens and 4 more in and around Alresford
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Alresford. Best known first.
GardenBeth Chatto Gardens1.8 km outside town, to the northTheme parkTheme parkWyvernwood500 m outside town, to the southeastArt galleryArt galleryESCALA Gallery3.6 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumBrightlingsea Museum4.5 km outside town, to the southAttractionAttractionThorrington Tide Mill1.9 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Beth Chatto Gardens: Grahamec, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Alresford
14pages on Alresford
The big questions
SafetyB+18.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingD−Median home £340K · rent £1,053 a monthHousing41 sold in 12 months · busiest street Wivenhoe RoadSchoolsC+1 state schoolHealthB−Life expectancy 80.7 (men), 82.6 (women)Work & commuteB53% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB0.1% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Alresford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WivenhoeThorringtonElmstead MarketRowhedgeGreat BentleyBrightlingseaBerechurchAlresford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alresford | 2,462 | — | — | D− | B+ | B− |
| Wivenhoe | 7,354 | 1.7 | A | B+ | B+ | A |
| Thorrington | 1,427 | 1.8 | — | D− | A+ | B− |
| Elmstead Market | 1,767 | 2 | — | D− | C | B |
| Rowhedge | 2,492 | 2.3 | — | B+ | A− | C− |
| Great Bentley | 1,746 | 2.8 | — | D− | C+ | B− |
| Brightlingsea | 8,678 | 2.9 | C− | D | B− | C+ |
| Berechurch | 7,702 | 4 | C+ | A | D | D |
Thorrington, Elmstead Market, Rowhedge and Great Bentley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Alresford
How much is council tax in Alresford?
Band D council tax in Alresford is £2,321 for 2026–27, less than in 71% 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 Alresford safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades B+.
About Alresford
Village in Essex, England
Alresford is a built-up area of 2,462 people, in the Tendring 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
- 2,462 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Tendring
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004182
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.