Thornwood Common’s story
10 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Thornwood Common’s built-up area.
18% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Thornwood CommonEssex
1,030 people live in this village in Essex, East of England. 14% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Robert Edwards · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,030
Census 2021 · Epping Forest council
Median home
£515K
35 sales in 3 years
Median age
47.7
24% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
28%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Thornwood Common a good place to live?
Thornwood Common’s best grade is for jobs & income: mean household income £67,767; 3.3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Homes are dear (D): homes sell for a median £515,000, about 8 times local household income. It lags on hazard risk as well — nearly one in ten homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B− for safety, B− for schools, B for health and B− for walkability.
Figures: income and life expectancy, ONS · claimants, DWP · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021. Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Thornwood Common has its subject grades alone.
How Thornwood Common grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Thornwood Common is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard risk8.6% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaDOpen →Cost of livingRent £1,844 a monthDOpen →Jobs & incomeAhead of most towns comparedB+Open →HealthLife expectancy 79.6 for men, 84.4 for womenBOpen →SafetyClose to the middle of the towns comparedB−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 49% of towns in EnglandB−Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryGraded on historic places and the town’s ageB−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 6.1 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsB+Open →Civic life1.9 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryC−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Thornwood Common stand out
The 3 things Thornwood Common does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
14% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.9 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 Thornwood Common.
HousingCost of living grade D
More households own their home in Thornwood Common than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 76%
£515Kmedian sale
Renting privately is how 11% of households live. Social housing holds 13% of households, below Essex’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Half of the 35 standard sales inside Thornwood Common’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £515,000.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Thornwood Common£515K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £850,500 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £486,500 | 14 |
| Terraced | £410,000 | 5 |
76%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,844
average private rent a month, Epping Forest council area
£2,285
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
83% of people in Thornwood Common rate their health good or very good
83%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
Seeing a GP means leaving Thornwood Common: the nearest practice is 1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Thornwood Common is The Princess Alexandra Hospital, 4 miles away. 18% of residents have a disability, above Essex’s towns (17%) and close to England’s towns (17%).
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Thornwood Common | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
79.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Listed buildings in Thornwood Common: 10
10listed buildingsB−History Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Thornwood Common counts 97 listed buildings. 18% of its homes were built before 1919, above both Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%).
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II10
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
18%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
97
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Homes in Thornwood Common see more burglary and damage than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 14.2 per 1,000 a year
19.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB−Safety Grade
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 42 crimes and 6 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Thornwood Common’s built-up area. Among the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people, Thornwood Common has more crime per resident than 72% of them. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 31% of recorded crime.
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 28% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: more crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual13
Damage & arson6
Public order6
Vehicle crime6
Other theft4
Burglary4
Other crime2
Drugs1
Anti-social6
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.
19.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
14.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
42
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
Work tends to be further away for Thornwood Common: 22% commute under 5 km, below Essex’s towns and England’s towns
14%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 36% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 81% of commuters, above both Essex’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). For every resident in work, Thornwood Common has 2.3 jobs. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving81%
Underground, tram8%
On foot3%
Bus2%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
22%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
36%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£68K
mean household income, before tax
3.3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B−
Walkability: more walkable than 49% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Who lives here
Older residents shape Thornwood Common: 24% are 65 or over, above Essex’s towns and England’s towns
47.7median age
15% are under 15, below Essex’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 9.5% of the population. At 47.7, the median resident of Thornwood Common sits in the middle of the age range. Among adults, 28% have a degree.
Thornwood CommonEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
24%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications23%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level28%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 91 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.
| Thornwood Common | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Thornwood Common
14pages on Thornwood Common
The big questions
SafetyB−19.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £515K · rent £1,844 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Weald Hall LaneSchoolsB−HealthBLife expectancy 79.6 (men), 84.4 (women)Work & commuteB+57% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsD8.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Epping Ongar Railway and 6 more in and around Thornwood Common
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Thornwood Common. Best known first.
Heritage railwayEpping Ongar Railway3.1 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseCopped Hall5 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseHill Hall4.4 km outside town, to the south
MuseumNorth Weald Airfield Museum1 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumEpping And Ongar Railway1.6 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumEpping Signalling Museum2.9 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Epping Ongar Railway: PeterSkuce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Copped Hall: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hill Hall: Stephen Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- North Weald Airfield Museum: Robert Edwards, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Thornwood Common
Village in Essex, England
Thornwood Common is a built-up area of 1,030 people, in the Epping Forest 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
- 1,030 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Epping Forest
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004492
Thornwood Common’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
CoopersaleNorth Weald BassettEppingHarlowTheydon BoisShelleyAbridgeThornwood Common
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornwood Common | 1,030 | — | — | D | B− | B |
| Coopersale | 1,067 | 1 | — | C− | B+ | B+ |
| North Weald Bassett | 4,323 | 1.7 | B | C− | C+ | B+ |
| Epping | 10,693 | 1.8 | B+ | D | C− | B |
| Harlow | 93,570 | 3.2 | D | C− | D | C− |
| Theydon Bois | 3,540 | 3.6 | A− | D | B− | A− |
| Shelley | 2,405 | 4.7 | — | C | C | B− |
| Abridge | 1,651 | 4.9 | — | C− | B− | B+ |
Coopersale, Shelley and Abridge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Thornwood Common
How many listed buildings are there in Thornwood Common?
That is 4 times the typical UK town for its size.
Does Thornwood Common flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
Is Thornwood Common expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £515,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £410,000, semi-detached houses £486,500 and detached houses £850,500.
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.