Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 1,045 people, this village lies in Essex, East of England.
Castle Hedingham is a safe place by the numbers (A−): police record 14.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, and 8.6 home and vehicle crimes. The median home sold for £343,000, 5.8 times what households in the Braintree council area earn in a year. Where it falls short is walkability (C−) — on the way to work, 10% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Schools lag: primary results beat just over two in five towns in England; secondary results beat 33% of towns in England.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes, ONS. With fewer than 2,500 residents, Castle Hedingham has subject grades but no overall one.
The 3 things Castle Hedingham does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Castle Hedingham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
With fewer than 2,500 residents, Castle Hedingham has subject grades but no overall one.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Castle Hedingham’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
33% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Castle Hedingham.
Children under 15 make up 12%, below Essex’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Half of Castle Hedingham is older than 52.9, half younger. Among adults, 26% have a degree.
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.
| Castle Hedingham | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The town has one school, shown below. Key Stage 2 results at the 3 primary schools within 3 km: 60% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| de Vere Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 203 | B+ |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Castle Hedingham counts 105 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade I, 2 Grade II*. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Nicholas, Grade I. Per 10,000 residents, Castle Hedingham counts 1,005 listed buildings, above both Essex’s towns (51) and England’s towns (39).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Among 16 to 64s, 2% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. 88% of commuters drove, above Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Jobs per working resident: 0.7.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 20 crimes and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Castle Hedingham’s built-up area. There were 1.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Of all the crimes, 55% were violence and sexual offences.
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.
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.
The nearest A&E to Castle Hedingham is Colchester General Hospital, 14 miles away. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1.1 miles off. Men in Castle Hedingham can expect to live to 81.4, women to 84.9 (2019–23).
| Census 2021 | Castle Hedingham | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
20% of households rent from a council or housing body. Private rents average £1,213 a month across the Braintree council area. 37 standard sales inside Castle Hedingham’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £343,000.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £572,500 | 12 |
| Semi-detached | £345,000 | 9 |
| Terraced | £290,000 | 14 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Castle Hedingham. Best known first.
CastleHedingham Castle100 m outside town, to the northeast
MuseumColne Valley Railway600 m outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumAlderford Water Mill1.2 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumRidgewell Airfield Museum4.9 km outside town, to the northwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Hedingham | 1,045 | — | — | B− | A− | B+ |
| Sible Hedingham | 4,261 | 0.9 | B− | B | B− | B+ |
| Great Yeldham | 1,824 | 2.3 | — | B− | B− | A− |
| Halstead | 13,902 | 3.7 | C+ | B | C+ | C+ |
| Gosfield | 1,453 | 3.8 | — | C− | A+ | B |
| Earls Colne | 3,360 | 6 | C+ | B | C+ | B− |
| Clare | 2,278 | 6.2 | — | C− | B+ | A− |
| Sudbury | 23,922 | 6.9 | B− | A | C− | C |
Great Yeldham, Gosfield and Clare have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 41.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Nicholas. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Village in Essex, England
Castle Hedingham is a built-up area of 1,045 people, in the Braintree 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
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.