Holwell’s story
10 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Holwell’s built-up area.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
HolwellHertfordshire
422 people live in this village in Hertfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: John Salmon · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
422
Census 2021 · North Hertfordshire council
Median age
47.7
22% are 65+ · Hertfordshire 17%
Degree level
37%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Holwell a good place to live?
Holwell 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. 10 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. It skews older: 22% of residents are 65 or over.
What makes Holwell stand out
The 3 things Holwell 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
0 Grade II*; 9.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
22% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Holwell.
Who lives here
Holwell has fewer young adults than Hertfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 7.3% are 15 to 24
47.7median age
17% are under 15, lower than Hertfordshire’s towns (19%) and near England’s towns (18%). Half the people of Holwell are older than 47.7. Among adults, 37% have a degree.
HolwellHertfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level37%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Holwell | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.4% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 37% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
4% of 16 to 64s in Holwell claim unemployment benefits, more than in Hertfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
8%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 44% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
A household here earns £66K a year before tax, on average. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 25%, below both Hertfordshire’s towns (41%) and England’s towns (45%). Jobs per working resident: 0.2.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
Train7%
Bus1%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
44%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£66K
mean household income, before tax
4%
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
Social housing is more common in Holwell than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns, at 36% of households
£0Kmedian sale
53% of households own their home, below both Hertfordshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Renting privately is how one in ten households live. Private rents average £1,434 a month across the North Hertfordshire council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Holwell£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £720,000 | 5 |
53%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,434
average private rent a month, North Hertfordshire council area
£2,511
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
Violent crime runs low in Holwell: 7.1 per 1,000 residents a year, under Hertfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
7.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
11 crimes and 7 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Holwell’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. 18% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 14.2 reports per 1,000, about level with Hertfordshire’s towns (14.3) and above England’s towns (7.8).
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Vehicle crime4
Violence & sexual2
Other theft2
Damage & arson1
Public order1
Weapons1
Shoplifting0
Burglary0
Anti-social7
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.
7.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
14.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
11
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
Bad health is more common in Holwell than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 5.7% of residents
82%good or very good health
Just over four fifths of Holwell’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than Hertfordshire’s towns (85%) and near England’s towns (82%). Disability touches 18% of the town’s population. Seeing a GP means leaving Holwell: the nearest practice is 1.5 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Holwell | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.7% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 14% | 17% |
81.4
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 · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
More buildings in Holwell are listed than in Hertfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 237 per 10,000 residents
10listed 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 11% of the total, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (12%) 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
11%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
237
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Holwell
12pages on Holwell
The big questions
Nearby attractions
All attractions →RAF Henlow and 8 more in and around Holwell
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Holwell. Best known first.
MuseumRAF Henlow3 km outside town, to the north
MuseumNorth Hertfordshire Museum4 km outside town, to the south
MuseumBritish schools museum4.4 km outside town, to the southCastleCastleMeppershall Castel3.8 km outside town, to the northwestMuseumMuseumGarden City Collection Study Centre3.2 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumLetchworth Community Museum4.9 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 (3)
- RAF Henlow: M J Richardson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- North Hertfordshire Museum: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- British schools museum: Jack1956, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
About Holwell
Village in Hertfordshire, England
Holwell is a built-up area of 422 people, in the North Hertfordshire 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
- 422 (Census 2021)
- Council
- North Hertfordshire
- County
- Hertfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003967
Holwell’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
IcklefordLower StondonPirtonArleseyShillingtonHitchinMeppershallHolwell
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holwell | 422 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ickleford | 1,936 | 1.3 | — | C− | B | B+ |
| Lower Stondon | 3,966 | 1.3 | B+ | B | B | A− |
| Pirton | 1,452 | 1.5 | — | C− | A | A− |
| Arlesey | 6,027 | 2.6 | B | A− | B− | B− |
| Shillington | 1,629 | 2.6 | — | B+ | B | B+ |
| Hitchin | 35,220 | 2.6 | A− | C+ | B− | B |
| Meppershall | 2,044 | 2.7 | — | C+ | B+ | B+ |
Ickleford, Pirton, Shillington and Meppershall have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Holwell
How many listed buildings are there in Holwell?
That is 9.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Holwell?
Band D council tax in Holwell is £2,511 for 2026–27, more than in 67% 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.