Blue Bell Hill’s story
No listed buildings inside Blue Bell Hill’s built-up area
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Blue Bell HillKent
857 residents make their home in this village in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
857
Census 2021 · Tonbridge and Malling council
Median home
£475K
37 sales in 3 years
Median age
47.7
21% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
33%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
4%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Blue Bell Hill a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Blue Bell Hill has none; the figures on this page are still real. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 4% of commuters. Homes sell for a median £475,000. Mortgage-free owners make up 46% of households.
What makes Blue Bell Hill stand out
The 3 things Blue Bell Hill does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
4% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.7 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Own outright
Housing
46% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Allington Castle and 10 more in and around Blue Bell Hill
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blue Bell Hill. Best known first.
CastleAllington Castle3.8 km outside town, to the south
MuseumMedway megaliths1.3 km outside town, to the south
FortFort Luton3.5 km outside town, to the northeast
Abbey or prioryThe Friars - Aylesford Priory3.7 km outside town, to the southwest
FortFort Borstal3.8 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumKent Life3.3 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Allington Castle: Prioryman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Medway megaliths: Midnightblueowl at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Luton: Youfoundmeout, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Friars - Aylesford Priory: August Schwerdfeger, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fort Borstal: Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blue Bell Hill.
Work & commute
Only 17% of Blue Bell Hill’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Kent’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 41% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.1% of 16 to 64s in 2026, lower than both Kent’s towns (2.7%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The car carried 95% of commuters at the census. Income per household averages £64K a year, before tax.
4%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving95%
On foot2%
Train2%
17%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
41%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£64K
mean household income, before tax
1.1%
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
More households own their home in Blue Bell Hill than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 90%
1% of households live in social housing. Private renters make up 8% of households, below Kent’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%) alike. That is the middle of 37 standard sales inside Blue Bell Hill’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£475Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Blue Bell Hill£475K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £500,000 | 25 |
| Semi-detached | £442,500 | 10 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,489
average private rent a month, Tonbridge and Malling council area
£2,467
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 Blue Bell Hill: 15.6 per 1,000 residents a year, under Kent’s towns and England’s towns
Of all the crimes, 45% were violence and sexual offences. 33 crimes and 16 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Blue Bell Hill’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Burglary and damage came to 11.7 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than Kent’s towns (12.3) yet higher than England’s towns (9.4).
15.6violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual15
Other theft5
Damage & arson4
Drugs3
Vehicle crime3
Public order2
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social16
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.
15.6
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
11.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
33
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
Disability is less common in Blue Bell Hill, 13% of residents, than in Kent’s towns and England’s towns
3.7% of residents report bad or very bad health. At the census, 86% of people in Blue Bell Hill called their health good or very good, higher than both Kent’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). Seeing a GP means leaving Blue Bell Hill: the nearest practice is 0.9 miles away.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Blue Bell Hill | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.7% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
77.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · 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.
History
Most of Blue Bell Hill is newer: only 5% of homes were built before 1919, below Kent’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Blue Bell Hill’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
5%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
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
Fewer children live in Blue Bell Hill than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 16% are under 15
People 65 and over make up 21% of the town. The age that splits Blue Bell Hill in two is 47.7. Among adults, 33% have a degree.
47.7median age
Blue Bell HillKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
21%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Blue Bell Hill | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Blue Bell Hill
13pages on Blue Bell Hill
The big questions
Safety15.6 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £475K · rent £1,489 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 months · busiest street Maidstone RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 77.9 (men), 82.3 (women)Work & commute59% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Blue Bell Hill’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BurhamEcclesChathamSnodlandHallingLarkfieldRochesterBlue Bell Hill
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Bell Hill | 857 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Burham | 1,293 | 1 | — | B | B− | C+ |
| Eccles | 1,706 | 1.5 | — | B+ | B | C+ |
| Chatham | 76,956 | 2.1 | D | B− | D | D |
| Snodland | 11,820 | 2.9 | C− | B | C− | C |
| Halling | 2,926 | 3.1 | C+ | C− | B | B− |
| Larkfield | 26,147 | 3.5 | C+ | C+ | C+ | B− |
| Rochester | 67,279 | 3.6 | C | C+ | D | C− |
Burham and Eccles have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Blue Bell Hill
Is Blue Bell Hill expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £442,500 and detached houses £500,000. Private rents in the Tonbridge and Malling council area averaged £1,489 a month in August 2026.
Who lives in Blue Bell Hill?
At the 2021 Census, 11% of Blue Bell Hill’s 857 residents were 15 to 24 and 21% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
How much is council tax in Blue Bell Hill?
Band D council tax in Blue Bell Hill is £2,467 for 2026–27, more than in 56% 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 Blue Bell Hill
Village in Kent, England
Blue Bell Hill is a built-up area of 857 people, in the Tonbridge and Malling 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
- 857 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Tonbridge and Malling
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005283
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.