Nounsley’s story
8 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Nounsley’s built-up area.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
NounsleyEssex
This village in Essex, East of England has a population of 301.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Robert Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
301
Census 2021 · Braintree council
Median age
50.5
31% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
32%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Nounsley a good place to live?
Nounsley has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 6% of commuters. 8 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I. 31% of residents are 65 or over.
What makes Nounsley stand out
The 3 things Nounsley does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% 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*; 10.9 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
31% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Nounsley.
Who lives here
Nounsley has fewer young adults than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 8% are 15 to 24
19% are under 15, about level with Essex’s towns (18%) and above England’s towns (18%). The median resident of Nounsley is 50.5 years old. Among adults, 32% have a degree.
50.5median age
NounsleyEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level32%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 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.
| Nounsley | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.9% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 15% in Nounsley, fewer than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car carried 91% of commuters at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.4% of 16 to 64s in 2026, lower than both Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Before tax, the average household brings in £65K a year.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
Train4%
On foot2%
15%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£65K
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 Nounsley: 7%, fewer than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
93% of households own their home, above Essex’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. Private rents average £1,213 a month across the Braintree council area. That is the middle of 6 standard sales inside Nounsley’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Nounsley£0K
Typical UK town£277K
93%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,213
average private rent a month, Braintree council area
£2,300
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
Nounsley records more burglary and damage per resident than Essex’s towns or England’s towns, at 14.4 per 1,000 a year
Violent crime comes to 11.1 per 1,000 residents a year. Nounsley logged 11 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 1 complaints of anti-social conduct. There were 1.1 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, 9% were violence and sexual offences.
11.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Vehicle crime3
Public order2
Other theft2
Burglary2
Violence & sexual1
Damage & arson1
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Anti-social1
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.
11.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
14.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.1
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 Nounsley than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 2.3% of residents
The nearest A&E to Nounsley is Broomfield Hospital, 6.1 miles away. 87% of the town’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, above Essex’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. Disability touches 12% of the town’s population. This Essex town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.9 miles away.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Nounsley | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 17% | 17% |
79.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.6
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
Nounsley is rich in listed buildings: 266 per 10,000 residents, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 22% of the total, above both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%).
8listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II8
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
22%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
266
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Blakes Wood and 2 more in and around Nounsley
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Nounsley. Best known first.
Park or estate · National TrustBlakes Wood4.1 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumThe Museum of Power3.4 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionAstaria3.4 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 (2)
- Blakes Wood: Malcolm Reid, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Museum of Power: Chris Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Nounsley
12pages on Nounsley
The big questions
Nounsley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Hatfield PeverelWithamBorehamWickham BishopsDanburyGreat TothamMaldonNounsley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nounsley | 301 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hatfield Peverel | 3,622 | 0.8 | C+ | C− | C | B− |
| Witham | 27,395 | 2.7 | C | B | C− | C |
| Boreham | 3,561 | 2.8 | A− | B− | C+ | A− |
| Wickham Bishops | 1,923 | 3 | — | C | A | A |
| Danbury | 6,196 | 3.4 | A | C | B+ | A |
| Great Totham | 2,773 | 3.6 | A+ | C+ | A+ | A |
| Maldon | 23,389 | 3.9 | C+ | B | C | B− |
Wickham Bishops has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Nounsley
How many listed buildings are there in Nounsley?
That is 10.9 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Nounsley?
Band D council tax in Nounsley is £2,300 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 Nounsley
Village in Essex, England
Nounsley is a built-up area of 301 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
- Population
- 301 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Braintree
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004396
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.