Dedham Heath’s story
10 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Dedham Heath’s built-up area.
31% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Dedham HeathEssex
A village in Essex, East of England, home to 601 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Robert Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
601
Census 2021 · Colchester council
Median home
£620K
21 sales in 3 years
Median age
52.8
27% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
42%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Dedham Heath a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Dedham Heath has no grades; its figures are still real. Its listed buildings number 10, with 0 at Grade I. 12% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Homes sell for a median £620,000.
What makes Dedham Heath stand out
The 3 things Dedham Heath does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.2 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 Dedham Heath.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Dedham Heath: just 17% travel under 5 km, below Essex’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 51% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Dedham Heath counts 0.6 jobs per working resident. The car took 85% of commuters, higher than both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Household income averages £69K a year before tax. Of the commuters living locally, 1% work in the town itself.
12%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving85%
Bicycle4%
Train4%
On foot3%
Bus1%
17%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
51%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£69K
mean household income, before tax
1.4%
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
Few households rent privately in Dedham Heath: 8%, fewer than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
Owners make up 92% of households, above both Essex’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,197 a month across the Colchester council area. That is the middle of 21 standard sales inside Dedham Heath’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£620Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Dedham Heath£620K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £627,500 | 16 |
92%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,197
average private rent a month, Colchester council area
£2,288
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
Dedham Heath records less violent crime per resident than Essex’s towns or England’s towns, at 4.4 per 1,000 a year
Each year, 6.7 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded per 1,000 residents. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 11 crimes inside Dedham Heath’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences were 55% of the crimes.
4.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6
Burglary3
Other theft1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Drugs0
Anti-social0
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.
4.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
11
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
Bad health is less common in Dedham Heath than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 2.3% of residents
Asked at the census, 86% of residents of Dedham Heath said they were in good or very good health. 13% of residents have a disability, below both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1.1 miles off.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Dedham Heath | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 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 · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
Old homes shape Dedham Heath: 31% were built before 1919, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Dedham Heath counts 166 listed buildings.
10listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II10
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
31%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
166
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
Dedham Heath is a graduates’ town: 42% hold a degree, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
People aged 15 to 24 make up a tenth of the town. 27% of residents are 65 or over, above Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The median resident of Dedham Heath is 52.8 years old.
52.8median age
Dedham HeathEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level42%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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.
| Dedham Heath | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 35% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 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 4 more in and around Dedham Heath
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Dedham Heath. Best known first.
MuseumThe Munnings Art Museum300 m outside town, to the northAttractionAttraction · National TrustFlatford Mill1.7 km outside town, to the northeastRuinsRuins · English HeritageMistley Towers4.5 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumManningtree Museum3.5 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumBoxted Airfield Museum4.8 km outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- The Munnings Art Museum: Paul Shreeve, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dedham Heath
13pages on Dedham Heath
The big questions
Safety4.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £620K · rent £1,197 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 months · busiest street Dedham MeadeSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81.4 (men), 85.1 (women)Work & commute66% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards1.7% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Dedham Heath’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ArdleighLawfordEast BergholtManningtreeBranthamMistleyElmstead MarketDedham Heath
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedham Heath | 601 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ardleigh | 1,042 | 1.3 | — | D− | C+ | B |
| Lawford | 4,488 | 2.4 | B+ | D− | B | B |
| East Bergholt | 2,211 | 2.6 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Manningtree | 1,676 | 3 | — | D− | C | B− |
| Brantham | 2,081 | 3.3 | — | B+ | A− | A |
| Mistley | 1,827 | 4 | — | D− | C | B |
| Elmstead Market | 1,767 | 4.1 | — | D− | C | B |
Ardleigh, East Bergholt, Manningtree, Brantham, Mistley and Elmstead Market have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Dedham Heath
How many listed buildings are there in Dedham Heath?
That is 6.8 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Dedham Heath?
Band D council tax in Dedham Heath is £2,288 for 2026–27, less than in 77% 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 Dedham Heath
Village in Essex, England
Dedham Heath is a built-up area of 601 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
- 601 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Colchester
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004001
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.