Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
218 people live in this village in Essex, East of England.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Chappel is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. It has 13 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. Pre-1919 homes make up 32% of the housing. 14% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
The 3 things Chappel does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Chappel’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
32% 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 Chappel.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
83% of commuters drove, above both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Home was the main workplace for 40% of workers at the census. Household income averages £69K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The social rented sector houses 22% of households. Private rents average £1,197 a month across the Colchester council area. Nearly two thirds of households own their home, near Essex’s towns (67%) and higher than England’s towns (61%).
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Homes see 12.2 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Over the year to August 2026, 14 offences were reported in Chappel, along with 1 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.5 reports per 1,000, below both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 50% of recorded crime.
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.
Seeing a GP means leaving Chappel: the nearest practice is 2.9 miles away. At the census, 20% of people here had a disability, higher than both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). Self-reported good health: four fifths of the town’s residents. The nearest A&E to Chappel is Colchester General Hospital, 5.9 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Chappel | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.2% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 2 of them, Grade I 1. Chappel’s listed buildings include the Church of St Barnabas, Grade I. Of the town’s land, 14% lies in conservation areas, above Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
People aged 15 to 24 make up a tenth of the town, near Essex’s towns (11%) and lower than England’s towns (12%). Typical age in Chappel: 43.9, the median. Graduates make up 32% of adults.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Chappel | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Chappel. Best known first.
GardenSergeants Orchard1.9 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumRestoration Shedin townMuseumMuseumHeritage Centre & Platforms 5 + 6in townCastleCastleCastle Mound3.4 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumEarls Colne Heritage Museum3.8 km outside town, to the westPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chappel | 218 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eight Ash Green | 1,769 | 2.6 | — | B− | C+ | A |
| Earls Colne | 3,360 | 2.9 | C+ | B | C+ | B− |
| Marks Tey | 1,817 | 3 | — | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Copford | 1,794 | 3.3 | — | C+ | B | A− |
| Bures | 1,183 | 3.6 | — | B− | B− | B+ |
| West Bergholt | 3,175 | 3.9 | A+ | B− | B+ | A |
| Coggeshall | 3,767 | 4.6 | B | C+ | B− | B+ |
Eight Ash Green, Marks Tey, Copford and Bures have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 24.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Barnabas. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Band D council tax in Chappel is £2,340 for 2026–27, less than in 68% 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.
Village in Essex, England
Chappel is a built-up area of 218 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
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.