Layer Breton’s story
17 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Layer Breton’s built-up area.
26% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Layer BretonEssex
The village has 869 residents and lies in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Robert Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
869
Census 2021 · Colchester council
Median home
£495K
27 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.8
22% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
33%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Layer Breton a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Layer Breton is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. One in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 17 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. Homes sell for a median £495,000.
What makes Layer Breton stand out
The 3 things Layer Breton does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.8 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 Layer Breton.
Work & commute
Commuters in Layer Breton travel far: only 13% go under 5 km, fewer than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
87% of commuters drove, higher than both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.7% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Average household income comes to £66K a year before tax.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot5%
Train4%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
13%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£66K
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
Housing
More households own their home in Layer Breton than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 80%
Social housing holds one in ten households. From September 2023 to August 2026, 27 homes sold inside Layer Breton’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £495,000. Private rents average £1,197 a month across the Colchester council area.
£495Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Layer Breton£495K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £642,500 | 16 |
| Semi-detached | £410,000 | 7 |
80%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,197
average private rent a month, Colchester council area
£2,295
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
Violent crime runs low in Layer Breton: 13 per 1,000 residents a year, under Essex’s towns and England’s towns
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 22 crimes inside Layer Breton’s built-up area. Homes saw 6.1 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below Essex’s towns (10.6) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. Of all the crimes, 59% were violence and sexual offences.
13violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual13
Damage & arson3
Other theft3
Vehicle crime1
Bicycle theft1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
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.
13
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
22
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
In Layer Breton, 83% say their health is good or very good
Seeing a GP means leaving Layer Breton: the nearest practice is 3.4 miles away. The nearest A&E to Layer Breton is Colchester General Hospital, 6.2 miles away. A disability affects 18% of people locally.
83%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Layer Breton | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
83.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Layer Breton keeps more of its old housing than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 26% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Relative to its size, Layer Breton keeps 196 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
17listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II17
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
26%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
196
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
Children make up only 16% of Layer Breton, fewer than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
People 65 and over make up 22% of the town, above both Essex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%). Layer Breton has a median age of 48.8. The 15-to-24 age group makes up one in ten residents.
48.8median age
Layer BretonEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 104 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Layer Breton | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Colchester Zoo and 3 more in and around Layer Breton
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Layer Breton. Best known first.
ZooColchester Zoo2.6 km outside town, to the north
Historic houseLayer Marney Tower1.4 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumTiptree Jam Museum4.8 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionAbbots Hall Farm3.8 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 (3)
- Colchester Zoo: Angela Tuff, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Layer Marney Tower: Poliphilo, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tiptree Jam Museum: Angela Tuff, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Layer Breton
13pages on Layer Breton
The big questions
Safety13 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £495K · rent £1,197 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 months · busiest street Mill LaneSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83.4 (men), 85.4 (women)Work & commute52% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Layer Breton’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Layer-de-la-HayeCopfordTolleshunt KnightsTiptreeMarks TeyLangenhoe and AbbertonBerechurchLayer Breton
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Layer Breton | 869 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Layer-de-la-Haye | 1,338 | 1.9 | — | C+ | A− | A |
| Copford | 1,794 | 3.1 | — | C+ | B | A− |
| Tolleshunt Knights | 1,059 | 3.2 | — | C+ | A+ | A− |
| Tiptree | 9,302 | 3.3 | B+ | B | B− | B+ |
| Marks Tey | 1,817 | 3.7 | — | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Langenhoe and Abberton | 1,010 | 3.8 | — | B− | A | A− |
| Berechurch | 7,702 | 4.2 | C+ | A | D | D |
Layer-de-la-Haye, Copford, Tolleshunt Knights, Marks Tey and Langenhoe and Abberton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Layer Breton
How many listed buildings are there in Layer Breton?
That is 8 times the typical UK town for its size. 26% of Layer Breton’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Is Layer Breton expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £410,000 and detached houses £642,500.
How much is council tax in Layer Breton?
Band D council tax in Layer Breton is £2,295 for 2026–27, less than in 75% 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 Layer Breton
Village in Essex, England
Layer Breton is a built-up area of 869 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
- 869 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Colchester
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004242
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.