Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 1,345 in Kent, South East.
Biddenden has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is schools (D−): primary results beat 4% of towns in England. The median home sold for £412,000 in the last three years, 7 times what households in the Ashford council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Biddenden 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 Biddenden is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Biddenden’s built-up area.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Biddenden.
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Mayne Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 94 | D |
Biddenden sits below both Kent’s towns (5.1%) and England’s towns (5.2%) on this measure. Biddenden has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.8 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 | Biddenden | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Biddenden’s land, 100% lies in conservation areas, above both Kent’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (7%). For its size, Biddenden has 297 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Biddenden’s listed buildings include East Wing and West Wing, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
That puts Biddenden below both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £587,500 | 10 |
| Semi-detached | £403,500 | 14 |
| Terraced | £325,000 | 15 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 32% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On this, Biddenden is below both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). At the census, 11% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Police recorded 55 crimes inside Biddenden’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 6 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 55% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking, so it runs higher than U.S. “violent crime”.
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
In the comparison, Biddenden comes above both Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). People aged 15 to 24 make up 9.9% of the town. The median resident of Biddenden is 44.1 years old.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Biddenden | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Biddenden. Best known first.
Garden · National TrustSissinghurst Castle and Garden2.9 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumLashenden Air Warfare Museum3.6 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionBiddenden Vineyards1.7 km outside town, to the southZooZooThe Big Cat Sanctuary4.6 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
3 notable people were born in Biddenden.
John R. Winder: Charles Roscoe Savage, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biddenden | 1,345 | — | — | C | C+ | A− |
| Tenterden | 7,775 | 3.7 | C | C− | C | B+ |
| Headcorn | 3,293 | 3.8 | C− | C− | D | B |
| Benenden | 1,409 | 4.2 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Cranbrook | 3,962 | 4.7 | B | C+ | C− | B |
| Bethersden | 1,008 | 5 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
| Staplehurst | 6,181 | 5.2 | C | C | C+ | B− |
| Woodchurch | 1,201 | 6.6 | — | C− | B+ | B− |
Benenden, Bethersden and Woodchurch have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Kent council.
That is 12.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include East Wing and West Wing.
Burglary was rare, with 2 reports in the year.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £412,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £325,000, semi-detached houses £403,500 and detached houses £587,500.
Village in Kent, England
Biddenden is a built-up area of 1,345 people, in the Ashford 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.