White Colne’s story
21 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside White Colne’s built-up area.
30% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
White ColneEssex
370 people live in this village in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Geographer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
370
Census 2021 · Braintree council
Median home
£435K
17 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.1
20% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is White Colne a good place to live?
White Colne has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 8% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 21 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. The median sale price is £435,000.
What makes White Colne stand out
The 3 things White Colne does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Colneford House; 23.3 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.6 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 White Colne.
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in White Colne work nearby than in Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 11% travel under 5 km
8%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.2% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. At the census, 89% of commuters went by car. Jobs per working resident: 0.8.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
Train5%
On foot3%
11%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
1.2%
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
Most households in White Colne own their home: 86%, more than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns
£435Kmedian sale
Private renters make up 8% of households, below Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. 6% of households live in social housing.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
White Colne£435K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £489,975 | 10 |
| Semi-detached | £325,000 | 5 |
86%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,213
average private rent a month, Braintree council area
£2,277
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 more often in White Colne than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 27.9 per 1,000 residents a year
27.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Property crime (burglary and damage) runs at 12.6 per 1,000 residents a year. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 9 crimes inside White Colne’s built-up area. Also worth knowing: 67% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Vehicle crime1
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.
27.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.6
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
Is White Colne a healthy place? 88% of its people say their health is good, above Essex’s towns and England’s towns
88%good or very good health
At the census, 3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. 13% of residents have a disability, below Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. The nearest A&E to White Colne is Colchester General Hospital, 7.8 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | White Colne | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
79.1
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.8
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
White Colne is rich in listed buildings: 568 per 10,000 residents, more than Essex’s towns or England’s towns
21listed buildings
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 30% of the total, above Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Grade II* covers 1 of them.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II20
Among them · Grade II*
- Colneford House Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
30%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
568
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 15% of White Colne, fewer than in Essex’s towns and England’s towns
50.1median age
37% of adults hold a degree, above both Essex’s towns (27%) and England’s towns (34%). People aged 15 to 24 are nearly a tenth of the population. The median resident of White Colne is 50.1 years old.
White ColneEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar21%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| White Colne | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 38% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.2% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about White Colne
13pages on White Colne
The big questions
Safety27.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £435K · rent £1,213 a monthHousing5 sold in 12 months · busiest street Colchester RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 79.1 (men), 82.8 (women)Work & commute58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards2.5% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Nearby attractions
All attractions →East Anglian Railway Museum and 6 more in and around White Colne
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near White Colne. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumEast Anglian Railway Museum2.2 km outside town, to the east
GardenSergeants Orchard3.7 km outside town, to the northeastCastleCastleCastle Mound4.7 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumEarls Colne Heritage Museum1.2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumRestoration Shed2.2 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumHeritage Centre & Platforms 5 + 62.2 km outside town, to the east
GardenSergeants Orchard3.7 km outside town, to the northeastCastleCastleCastle Mound4.7 km outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumEarls Colne Heritage Museum1.2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumRestoration Shed2.2 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumHeritage Centre & Platforms 5 + 62.2 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Sergeants Orchard: Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
About White Colne
Village in Essex, England
White Colne is a built-up area of 370 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
- 370 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Braintree
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004040
White Colne’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Earls ColneHalsteadBuresCoggeshallMarks TeyEight Ash GreenCopfordWhite Colne
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Colne | 370 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Earls Colne | 3,360 | 1 | C+ | B | C+ | B− |
| Halstead | 13,902 | 3.6 | C+ | B | C+ | C+ |
| Bures | 1,183 | 3.9 | — | B− | B− | B+ |
| Coggeshall | 3,767 | 4 | B | C+ | B− | B+ |
| Marks Tey | 1,817 | 4 | — | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Eight Ash Green | 1,769 | 4.5 | — | B− | C+ | A |
| Copford | 1,794 | 4.8 | — | C+ | B | A− |
Bures, Marks Tey, Eight Ash Green and Copford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about White Colne
How many listed buildings are there in White Colne?
That is 23.3 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is White Colne expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £325,000 and detached houses £489,975. Private rents in the Braintree council area averaged £1,213 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in White Colne?
Band D council tax in White Colne is £2,277 for 2026–27, less than in 78% 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.
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.