Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,834 in Hampshire, South East.
Old Basing grades A overall against UK towns: better than 93% of UK towns, and #22 of 76 in Hampshire. Its strongest subject is jobs & income (A+): mean household income £66,600; 1.6% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Its weakest is walkability (C): 11% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The median home sold for £497,500 in the last three years, 7.3 times what households in the Basingstoke and Deane council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Old Basing does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Old Basing is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 61 buildings inside Old Basing’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
9% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Old Basing. Best known first.
CastleOdiham Castle4.6 km outside town, to the east
CastleBasing House100 m outside town, to the west
MuseumWillis Museum2.4 km outside town, to the west
MuseumMilestones Museum4 km outside town, to the westHistoric houseHistoric house · National TrustThe Vyne Estate3.7 km outside town, to the northwestFortFortBullsdown Iron Age Fort4.5 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Old Basing.
For Old Basing, that is below both Hampshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). Old Basing has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.7 miles away. 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.
| Census 2021 | Old Basing | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.9% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 357 | B− |
Old Basing sits below both Hampshire’s towns (20.8) and England’s towns (22) on this measure. Police recorded 114 crimes inside Old Basing’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 13 reports of anti-social behaviour. For its size, Old Basing records less crime per resident than 84% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
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.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 48% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Old Basing above both Hampshire’s towns (75%) and England’s towns (70%). 48% of workers worked mainly from home at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
On this, Old Basing is above both Hampshire’s towns (25) and England’s towns (39). Old Basing’s listed buildings include Church of St Mary, Grade I. Old Basing has 61 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade I, 0 Grade II*.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
In the comparison, Old Basing comes below both Hampshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (21%). 77% of households own their home.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £646,250 | 70 |
| Semi-detached | £495,000 | 25 |
| Terraced | £405,000 | 29 |
| Flat or maisonette | £203,250 | 24 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
14% are under 15, below both Hampshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 8.5% of residents. The median resident of Old Basing is 51 years old.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Old Basing | Hampshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 33% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hampshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
61 listed buildings in Old Basing, 2 of them Grade I.
Tithe Barn: Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Basing House and the Grange Field: Photo: Sandy B · CC BY-SA 2.0 · The Bolton Arms Public House: Photo: Dr Neil Clifton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lower Mill: Photo: Shazz · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Geograph
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Basing | 3,834 | — | A | B− | A− | A |
| Basingstoke | 117,211 | 2.7 | B | A | C− | C+ |
| Sherfield on Loddon | 1,385 | 3.6 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Hook | 9,062 | 3.7 | A+ | A | B | A |
| Odiham | 5,091 | 4.1 | A+ | A− | A− | A+ |
| Bramley | 4,730 | 4.2 | B+ | B | B+ | B+ |
| Oakley | 5,264 | 6 | A+ | B− | A− | A+ |
| Hartley Wintney | 3,465 | 6.2 | A+ | A− | B− | A+ |
Sherfield on Loddon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 6.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Church of St Mary. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £497,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £203,250, terraced houses £405,000, semi-detached houses £495,000 and detached houses £646,250. Household incomes are higher than in 83% of UK towns, so cost of living still grades B−.
Police recorded 114 crimes inside Old Basing’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 56% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Town in Hampshire, England
Old Basing is a built-up area of 3,834 people, in the Basingstoke and Deane 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
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.