Toppesfield’s story
14 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Toppesfield’s built-up area.
35% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ToppesfieldEssex
The village, home to 224 people, lies in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Ruuy lestrade 73 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Population
224
Census 2021 · Braintree council
Median age
56.5
33% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
28%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Toppesfield a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Toppesfield has no grades; its figures are still real. 6% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 14 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. Over-65s are a third of the population.
What makes Toppesfield stand out
The 3 things Toppesfield 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
1 Grade I, including Parish Church of St Margaret of Antioch; 25.6 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
33% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Toppesfield.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Toppesfield: 33% are 65 or over, above Essex’s towns and England’s towns
People aged 15 to 24 make up 4.1% of the town, below Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Line up the people of Toppesfield by age and the one in the middle is 56.5. Among adults, 28% have a degree.
56.5median age
ToppesfieldEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
33%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level28%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
About 111 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Toppesfield | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 4.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 35% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.1% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 9% of Toppesfield’s commuters work within 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.
3.3% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, above Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Driving is how 93% of commuters got to work at the census. For every resident in work, Toppesfield has 0.3 jobs.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving93%
On foot6%
9%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
£61K
mean household income, before tax
3.3%
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
Private renting is less common in Toppesfield than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 7%
81% of households own their home, above Essex’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. Social renters account for 13% of households. Private rents average £1,213 a month across the Braintree council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Toppesfield£0K
Typical UK town£277K
81%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,213
average private rent a month, Braintree council area
£2,304
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
Toppesfield records less violent crime per resident than Essex’s towns or England’s towns, at 11.9 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences were a third of the crimes. Homes see 7.4 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 9 recorded crimes inside Toppesfield’s built-up area, and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.5 reports per 1,000, lower than both Essex’s towns (4.6) and England’s towns (7.8).
11.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Public order2
Burglary2
Vehicle crime2
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Other theft0
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.
11.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.4
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
9
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
Only 79% of people in Toppesfield say their health is good or very good, fewer than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
5.8% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, higher than both Essex’s towns (4.8%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Seeing a GP means leaving Toppesfield: the nearest practice is 3.5 miles away. The nearest A&E to Toppesfield is Broomfield Hospital, 16.3 miles away.
79%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Toppesfield | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
84.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Toppesfield is rich in listed buildings: 625 per 10,000 residents, 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.
Toppesfield’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Margaret of Antioch, Grade I. The pre-1919 share of homes is 35%. Conservation areas cover 17% of the town’s land, higher than both Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%). The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
14listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II13
Among them · Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
35%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
625
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 →Hedingham Castle and 2 more in and around Toppesfield
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Toppesfield. Best known first.
CastleHedingham Castle4.8 km outside town, to the east
MuseumColne Valley Railway3.4 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumRidgewell Airfield Museum2.1 km outside town, to the northeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Hedingham Castle: Agnete, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Colne Valley Railway: PeterSkuce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Toppesfield
12pages on Toppesfield
The big questions
Toppesfield’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Great YeldhamCastle HedinghamSible HedinghamSteeple BumpsteadClareGreat BardfieldGosfieldToppesfield
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toppesfield | 224 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Great Yeldham | 1,824 | 1.5 | — | B− | B− | A− |
| Castle Hedingham | 1,045 | 3 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
| Sible Hedingham | 4,261 | 3.2 | B− | B | B− | B+ |
| Steeple Bumpstead | 1,376 | 4.4 | — | C | A− | A |
| Clare | 2,278 | 5.4 | — | C− | B+ | A− |
| Great Bardfield | 1,372 | 5.6 | — | C | A− | A |
| Gosfield | 1,453 | 5.7 | — | C− | A+ | B |
Great Yeldham, Castle Hedingham, Steeple Bumpstead, Clare, Great Bardfield and Gosfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Toppesfield
How many listed buildings are there in Toppesfield?
That is 25.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of St Margaret of Antioch.
How much is council tax in Toppesfield?
Band D council tax in Toppesfield is £2,304 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 Toppesfield
Village in Essex, England
Toppesfield is a built-up area of 224 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
- 224 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Braintree
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003885
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.