Boxted Cross’s story
10 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Boxted Cross’ built-up area.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Boxted CrossEssex
Some 726 people live in this village, in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Songers · Photo: Hjamesberglen · CC0
Population
726
Census 2021 · Colchester council
Median home
£425K
27 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.5
23% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
30%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Boxted Cross a good place to live?
There are no grades for Boxted Cross: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. 10 buildings are listed here, 1 at Grade I. Walking, cycling and public transport carry just over one in ten commuters.
What makes Boxted Cross stand out
The 3 things Boxted Cross does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Songers; 5.7 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%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.5 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Boxted Cross.
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Boxted Cross walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 11%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 29% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For nearly a quarter of commuters, work was under 5 km away. 87% of commuters drove, higher than both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Before tax, the average household brings in £69K a year. Of the commuters living in Boxted Cross, 4% work in the town itself.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot5%
Bicycle3%
Train2%
Bus1%
24%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
29%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£69K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
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
Schools
The schools around Boxted Cross
The town has one school, shown below. Boxted St Peter's Church of England School’s results beat 77% of schools in England like it. 65% of pupils at the 2 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boxted St Peter's Church of England SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 206 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Few households rent privately in Boxted Cross: 8%, fewer than in Essex’s towns and England’s towns
At the median, a home went for £425K, above Essex’s towns (£400K) and England’s towns (£308K) alike. Owners make up 73% of households. In addition, the social rented sector houses 19% of households.
£425Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Boxted Cross£425K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £485,000 | 15 |
| Semi-detached | £410,000 | 11 |
73%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,197
average private rent a month, Colchester council area
£2,350
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
Crime recorded by police in Boxted Cross
The 12 months to August 2026 brought 34 recorded crimes inside Boxted Cross’s built-up area, and 5 reports of anti-social behaviour. Homes saw 8.3 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Essex’s towns (10.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Of all the crimes, 56% were violence and sexual offences.
23.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual19
Damage & arson5
Public order5
Vehicle crime2
Other theft1
Burglary1
Weapons1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social5
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.
23.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
34
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
Most people in Boxted Cross (82%) report good or very good health
Seeing a GP means leaving Boxted Cross: the nearest practice is 3 miles away. The nearest A&E to Boxted Cross is Colchester General Hospital, 3.1 miles away. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 5.4% of the town.
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Boxted Cross | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
81.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.1
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.
History
Old homes shape Boxted Cross: 22% were built before 1919, more than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Boxted Cross’s listed buildings include Songers, Grade I. Relative to its size, Boxted Cross keeps 138 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both Essex’s towns (52) and England’s towns (39). The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
10listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II9
Among them · Grade I
- Songers Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
22%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
138
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Few people in Boxted Cross are 15 to 24: 8%, fewer than in Essex’s towns and England’s towns
30% of adults hold a degree. People 65 and over make up 23% of the town, above Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Line up the people of Boxted Cross by age and the one in the middle is 48.5. One measure of family life: 17% of residents are under 15.
48.5median age
Boxted CrossEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
23%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level30%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Boxted Cross | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 30% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →The Munnings Art Museum and 3 more in and around Boxted Cross
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Boxted Cross. Best known first.
MuseumThe Munnings Art Museum4.9 km outside town, to the east
Historic house · National TrustThorington Hall2.7 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumBoxted Airfield Museum1.5 km outside town, to the southCastleCastleGifford's Hall4.8 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- The Munnings Art Museum: Paul Shreeve, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thorington Hall: Keith Evans, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Boxted Cross
13pages on Boxted Cross
The big questions
Safety23.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £425K · rent £1,197 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Straight RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81.4 (men), 85.1 (women)Work & commute48% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Boxted Cross’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Great HorkesleyArdleighWest BergholtColchesterEast BergholtEight Ash GreenLawfordBoxted Cross
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxted Cross | 726 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Great Horkesley | 2,232 | 2.5 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Ardleigh | 1,042 | 3.6 | — | D− | C+ | B |
| West Bergholt | 3,175 | 3.9 | A+ | B− | B+ | A |
| Colchester | 130,259 | 4.5 | B | A− | D | C |
| East Bergholt | 2,211 | 4.7 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Eight Ash Green | 1,769 | 5.7 | — | B− | C+ | A |
| Lawford | 4,488 | 5.8 | B+ | D− | B | B |
Great Horkesley, Ardleigh, East Bergholt and Eight Ash Green have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Boxted Cross
How many listed buildings are there in Boxted Cross?
That is 5.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Songers.
Is Boxted Cross expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £410,000 and detached houses £485,000. Private rents in the Colchester council area averaged £1,197 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Boxted Cross?
Band D council tax in Boxted Cross is £2,350 for 2026–27, less than in 67% 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.
About Boxted Cross
Village in Essex, England
Boxted Cross is a built-up area of 726 people, in the Colchester 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
- 726 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Colchester
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003984
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.