Sandon’s story
3 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Sandon’s built-up area.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SandonEssex
It is a village of 249 residents in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
249
Census 2021 · Chelmsford council
Median age
51.8
25% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
33%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sandon a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Sandon 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 3 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. Mortgage-free owners make up 45% of households.
What makes Sandon stand out
The 3 things Sandon 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
3 listed buildings
0 Grade II*; 4.9 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Own outright
Housing
45% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sandon.
Work & commute
More commuters in Sandon drive than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 89%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: 43% of workers, above both Essex’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (31%). A third of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters. The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.8%.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
Train4%
Bus2%
Bicycle2%
On foot1%
33%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
43%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£70K
mean household income, before tax
1.8%
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 Sandon than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 83%
The private rented sector houses 15% of households. 1% live in social housing, lower than both Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,439 a month across the Chelmsford council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sandon£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £918,750 | 6 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,439
average private rent a month, Chelmsford council area
£2,299
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
Violence is recorded less often in Sandon than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 4 per 1,000 residents a year
Police recorded 3 crimes inside Sandon’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026.
4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Weapons1
Violence & sexual0
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Burglary0
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
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
3
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
88% of people in Sandon say their health is good or very good, more than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns
At the census, 14% of people here had a disability, below Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Sandon has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.5 miles away. The nearest A&E to Sandon is Broomfield Hospital, 5.2 miles away.
88%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Sandon | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
82.6
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 answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Sandon is rich in listed buildings: 120 per 10,000 residents, more than Essex’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list names 3 listed buildings in Sandon, every one Grade II. 12% of its homes were built before 1919, between Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%).
3listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
12%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
120
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 7.8% of Sandon, fewer than in Essex’s towns and England’s towns
33% of adults hold a degree, above Essex’s towns (27%) and close to England’s towns (34%). People 65 and over make up 25% of the town. Ages in Sandon split evenly at 51.8: half are older, half younger.
51.8median age
SandonEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sandon | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.8% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 37% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 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 →Chelmsford Cathedral and 7 more in and around Sandon
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Sandon. Best known first.
CathedralChelmsford Cathedral4.8 km outside town, to the northwest
Park or estate · National TrustBlakes Wood2.7 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumChelmsford Museum4.9 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumEssex Police Museum3.9 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumSandford Mill Museum1.8 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionMarconi New Street Factory4.9 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Chelmsford Cathedral: The original uploader was Petepetepete at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Blakes Wood: Malcolm Reid, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chelmsford Museum: Forester2009, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sandon
12pages on Sandon
The big questions
Sandon’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
DanburyBicknacreChelmsfordGalleywoodBorehamBroomfieldHatfield PeverelSandon
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandon | 249 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Danbury | 6,196 | 1.9 | A | C | B+ | A |
| Bicknacre | 2,277 | 2.3 | — | B− | B+ | A |
| Chelmsford | 110,612 | 2.9 | B+ | B | D | B− |
| Galleywood | 6,410 | 3 | A− | B | C+ | B+ |
| Boreham | 3,561 | 3.2 | A− | B− | C+ | A− |
| Broomfield | 3,491 | 4.9 | A− | B− | D− | B+ |
| Hatfield Peverel | 3,622 | 4.9 | C+ | C− | C | B− |
Bicknacre has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Sandon
How many listed buildings are there in Sandon?
3 on Historic England’s list. That is 4.9 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Sandon?
Band D council tax in Sandon is £2,299 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.
Who lives in Sandon?
At the 2021 Census, 11% of Sandon’s 249 residents were 15 to 24 and 25% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
About Sandon
Village in Essex, England
Sandon is a built-up area of 249 people, in the Chelmsford 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
- 249 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Chelmsford
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004498
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.