Bidborough’s story
24 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Bidborough’s built-up area.
27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BidboroughKent
A village of 914 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
914
Census 2021 · Tunbridge Wells council
Median home
£780K
21 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.2
23% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
55%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Bidborough a good place to live?
Bidborough has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Bidborough stand out
The 3 things Bidborough does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.8 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 Grade II*, including Parish Church of St Lawrence; 10.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
14% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
41% of commuters travel under 5 km.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bidborough.
Work & commute
Households in Bidborough earn more than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: £85K a year
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 63% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
That puts Bidborough above both Kent’s towns (£61K) and England’s towns (£55K). At the census, 14% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
14%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving85%
On foot6%
Train4%
Bicycle3%
Bus1%
41%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
63%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£85K
mean household income, before tax
1.4%
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
Schools
The schools around Bidborough
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bidborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 200 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Buying in Bidborough costs more than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: the median sale is £780K
On this, Bidborough is above both Kent’s towns (£380K) and England’s towns (£308K). Owners make up 84% of households.
£780Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bidborough£780K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £963,000 | 12 |
| Semi-detached | £660,000 | 6 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,533
average private rent a month, Tunbridge Wells council area
£2,503
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
Homes in Bidborough see less burglary and damage than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 4 per 1,000 a year
In the comparison, Bidborough comes below both Kent’s towns (12.3) and England’s towns (9.4). Violence comes to 11.7 per 1,000 residents a year. Police recorded 18 crimes inside Bidborough’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 2 reports of anti-social behaviour.
11.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual9
Vehicle crime3
Drugs2
Public order1
Other theft1
Burglary1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social2
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.
11.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
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)
18
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Is Bidborough a healthy place? 88% of its people say their health is good, above Kent’s towns and England’s towns
For Bidborough, that is above both Kent’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). Bidborough has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.3 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.
88%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Bidborough | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
82.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
Much of Bidborough is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than Kent’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Bidborough’s land, 100% lies in conservation areas, above both Kent’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (7%). For its size, Bidborough has 263 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Bidborough has 24 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 2 Grade II*.
24listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II22
Among them · Grade II*
- Parish Church of St Lawrence Grade II*
- The Grange Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
27%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
263
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
More people in Bidborough hold a degree than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 55%
Bidborough sits above both Kent’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%) on this measure. People 65 and over make up 23% of the town. The median resident of Bidborough is 48.2 years old.
48.2median age
BidboroughKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
23%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications8%
Apprenticeship3%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level55%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bidborough | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.2% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 2.6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 55% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Penshurst Place and 5 more in and around Bidborough
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Bidborough. Best known first.
Historic houseHistoric housePenshurst Place3 km outside town, to the west
CastleTonbridge Castle Gatehouse3 km outside town, to the northeast
CastleSomerhill House3.5 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseSalomons Museum1.2 km outside town, to the south
Heritage railwaySpa Valley Railway4.3 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumThe Amelia Scott3.8 km outside town, to the southeast
CastleTonbridge Castle Gatehouse3 km outside town, to the northeastCastleSomerhill House3.5 km outside town, to the eastHistoric houseSalomons Museum1.2 km outside town, to the southHeritage railwaySpa Valley Railway4.3 km outside town, to the southMuseumMuseumThe Amelia Scott3.8 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Tonbridge Castle Gatehouse: Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Somerhill House: Nigel Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Salomons Museum: Nigel Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Spa Valley Railway: PeterSkuce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Bidborough
13pages on Bidborough
The big questions
Safety11.7 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £780K · rent £1,533 a monthHousing5 sold in 12 months · busiest street Penshurst RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 82.4 (men), 85 (women)Work & commute72% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Bidborough’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
SouthboroughLeighRusthall and Langton GreenRoyal Tunbridge WellsTonbridgeHildenboroughPemburyBidborough
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bidborough | 914 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Southborough | 9,632 | 1.3 | A− | C | B− | B− |
| Leigh | 1,104 | 2 | — | D | A | A+ |
| Rusthall and Langton Green | 7,783 | 2.4 | A | C | B | B |
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | 51,215 | 2.7 | A− | C+ | C | B |
| Tonbridge | 36,136 | 2.9 | B+ | C+ | C | B− |
| Hildenborough | 4,943 | 3 | A+ | C− | A | A |
| Pembury | 5,783 | 4.3 | B− | C | C− | B− |
Leigh has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bidborough
Is Bidborough expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £660,000 and detached houses £963,000. Private rents in the Tunbridge Wells council area averaged £1,533 a month in August 2026.
How many listed buildings are there in Bidborough?
That is 10.8 times the typical UK town for its size. 27% of Bidborough’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
How much is council tax in Bidborough?
Band D council tax in Bidborough is £2,503 for 2026–27, more than in 65% 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 Bidborough
Village in Kent, England
Bidborough is a built-up area of 914 people, in the Tunbridge Wells 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
- 914 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Tunbridge Wells
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005743
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.