Whitwell’s story
35 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Whitwell’s built-up area.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WhitwellHertfordshire
A village of 1,020 in Hertfordshire, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Bikeboy · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,020
Census 2021 · North Hertfordshire council
Median home
£586K
42 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.7
26% are 65+ · Hertfordshire 17%
Degree level
43%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
12%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Whitwell a good place to live?
Health is its strong suit: men here can expect to live to 81.4, women to 84.4. Its weakest subject is schools — primary results beat 10% of towns in England. Homes are dear: a typical home costs £586,250 and rent runs £1,434 a month. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for safety, B− for jobs & income and C+ for hazard risk.
Figures: life expectancy and income, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · claimants, DWP · flood risk, Environment Agency. An overall grade needs 2,500 residents, so Whitwell is graded subject by subject only.
How Whitwell grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Whitwell is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
An overall grade needs 2,500 residents, so Whitwell is graded subject by subject only.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 10% of towns in EnglandDOpen →Cost of livingMedian sale £586,250, 8.8 years of area incomeC−Open →HealthBetter than most of the towns comparedB+Open →WalkabilityGraded on how easily people get around without a carC+Open →SafetyLess crime than in most townsBOpen →Hazard risk0.4% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC+Open →Jobs & income2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryNear the top of the towns comparedAOpen →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 2.4 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsBOpen →Civic life4.9 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryB+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
What makes Whitwell stand out
The 3 things Whitwell does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 14.1 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
12% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.1 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 Whitwell.
SchoolsD
Exam results at Whitwell’s schools trail 94% of towns in England
DSchool Grade
Just over half of pupils at the 3 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). There is one school here; it is shown below. 74 pupils attend Whitwell’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Paul's Walden Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 74 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
More buildings in Whitwell are listed than in Hertfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 343 per 10,000 residents
35listed buildingsAHistory Grade
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 29% of Whitwell’s land, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (7%). Its heritage register entries (35 listed buildings) are all Grade II. Homes from before 1919 make up a quarter of the total.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II35
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
25%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
343
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C−
Private renting is less common in Whitwell than in Hertfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 7%
£586Kmedian sale
Council and housing-body homes hold 28% of households. Half of the 42 standard sales inside Whitwell’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £586,250. Owners make up 64% of households, near Hertfordshire’s towns (64%) and higher than England’s towns (61%).
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Whitwell£586K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £697,500 | 20 |
| Semi-detached | £470,000 | 11 |
| Terraced | £365,000 | 9 |
64%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,434
average private rent a month, North Hertfordshire council area
£2,506
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 Whitwell rate their health good or very good
83%good or very good healthB+Health Grade
One GP practice serves the town; 51% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Women here live to 84.4 on average and men to 81.4 (2019–23). A disability affects 15% of people in Whitwell.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Whitwell | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 85% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.5% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 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 · 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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Work tends to be further away for Whitwell: 12% commute under 5 km, below Hertfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
12%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income averages £66K a year before tax. The car took 87% of commuters, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (73%) and England’s towns (70%). Home was the main workplace for 45% of workers at the census. 4% of commuters who live in Whitwell also work there.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot7%
Train3%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
12%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
45%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£66K
mean household income, before tax
2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C+
Walkability: more walkable than 37% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Safety
Homes in Whitwell see less burglary and damage than in Hertfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 7.8 per 1,000 a year
19.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 50 crimes and 19 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Whitwell’s built-up area. Of all the crimes, 64% were violence and sexual offences. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 11.8 reports per 1,000, below Hertfordshire’s towns (14.4) but above England’s towns (7.8).
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 41% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual32
Public order6
Burglary4
Vehicle crime4
Damage & arson2
Other theft1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social19
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.
19.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
50
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.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Whitwell: 26% are 65 or over, above Hertfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
48.7median age
Among adults, 43% have a degree. Children under 15 make up 17%, lower than both Hertfordshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for nearly one in ten residents. Line up the people of Whitwell by age and the one in the middle is 48.7.
WhitwellHertfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
26%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level43%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Whitwell | Hertfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 26% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 4.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 39% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Hertfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Whitwell
14pages on Whitwell
The big questions
SafetyB19.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC−Median home £586K · rent £1,434 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street High StreetSchoolsD1 state schoolHealthB+Life expectancy 81.4 (men), 84.4 (women)Work & commuteB−59% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC+0.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Knebworth House and 3 more in and around Whitwell
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Whitwell. Best known first.
Historic houseKnebworth House3.7 km outside town, to the east
Museum · National TrustShaw's Corner4.1 km outside town, to the south
ZooCat Survival Trust4.9 km outside town, to the southeastHistoric houseHistoric houseHomewood4.7 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)
- Knebworth House: Heron2 (Heron on en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shaw's Corner: PaulSkin from UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cat Survival Trust: Graham Dean from Rayleigh, England, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Whitwell
Village in Hertfordshire, England
Whitwell is a built-up area of 1,020 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
- 1,020 (Census 2021)
- Council
- North Hertfordshire
- County
- Hertfordshire
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004195
Whitwell’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
KimptonCodicoteKnebworthWelwynOaklandsLittle WymondleyWheathampsteadWhitwell
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitwell | 1,020 | — | — | C− | B | B+ |
| Kimpton | 1,546 | 1.9 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Codicote | 2,677 | 2.8 | A− | C | B+ | B+ |
| Knebworth | 4,191 | 4.2 | B+ | C | B | B+ |
| Welwyn | 3,906 | 4.3 | A− | D | B | B+ |
| Oaklands | 3,960 | 4.3 | A | D | A | A+ |
| Little Wymondley | 1,003 | 4.4 | — | B− | C | C+ |
| Wheathampstead | 4,523 | 4.5 | A− | C− | B− | A+ |
Kimpton and Little Wymondley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Whitwell
How many listed buildings are there in Whitwell?
That is 14.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Whitwell expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £586,250, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £365,000, semi-detached houses £470,000 and detached houses £697,500.
Are schools in Whitwell good?
Primary results trail 90% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Hertfordshire council.
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.