Detling’s story
17 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Detling’s built-up area.
21% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
DetlingKent
A village of 737 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Oast House Archive · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
737
Census 2021 · Maidstone council
Median home
£470K
35 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.5
25% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Detling a good place to live?
Detling has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Detling stand out
The 3 things Detling does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St Martin of Tours; 9.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.7 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Thurnham Castle and 10 more in and around Detling
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Detling. Best known first.
CastleThurnham Castle900 m outside town, to the east
CastleAllington Castle3.6 km outside town, to the west
MuseumMedway megaliths5 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic house · National TrustStoneacre4.1 km outside town, to the south
MuseumMaidstone Museum3.5 km outside town, to the southwest
PalaceThe Archbishop's Palace3.7 km outside town, to the southwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Thurnham Castle: Mertbiol, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Allington Castle: Prioryman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Medway megaliths: Midnightblueowl at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stoneacre: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maidstone Museum: Linda Spashett Storye_book, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Archbishop's Palace: Stephen Nunney, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Detling.
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Detling than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 6%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Detling counts 1.2 jobs per working resident. 92% of commuters drove, higher than both Kent’s towns (75%) and England’s towns (70%). For just over a fifth of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
Train3%
On foot2%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
22%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
37%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£76K
mean household income, before tax
1.9%
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
Detling is a town of owners: 80% of households own their home, above Kent’s towns and England’s towns
At the median, a home went for £470K, higher than both Kent’s towns (£380K) and England’s towns (£308K). Private tenants account for 10% of households. That is the middle of 35 standard sales inside Detling’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£470Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Detling£470K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £505,000 | 16 |
| Semi-detached | £450,000 | 13 |
80%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,297
average private rent a month, Maidstone council area
£2,560
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
Violence is recorded less often in Detling than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 17.2 per 1,000 residents a year
There were 4.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), lower than both Kent’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8). Each year, 13.1 burglaries and acts of damage are recorded per 1,000 residents. Over the year to August 2026, 25 offences were reported in Detling, along with 4 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 52% of recorded crime.
17.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual13
Vehicle crime4
Damage & arson3
Other theft1
Burglary1
Drugs1
Weapons1
Other crime1
Anti-social4
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.
17.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
13.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
25
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 less common in Detling than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 3% of residents
87% of people in Detling rate their own health good or very good. At the census, 14% of people here had a disability, lower than both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). This Kent town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.8 miles away.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Detling | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
82.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.9
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Detling is rich in listed buildings: 231 per 10,000 residents, more than in Kent’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Detling’s listed buildings include the Church of St Martin of Tours, Grade I. It has 17 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I. Also worth knowing: of the town’s land, 24% lies in conservation areas, above Kent’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. Homes from before 1919 make up 21% of the total.
17listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II16
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Martin of Tours Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
21%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
231
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
Children make up only 14% of Detling, fewer than in Kent’s towns and across England’s towns
People 65 and over make up a quarter of the town. A tenth of the population is aged 15 to 24, lower than both Kent’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Line up the people of Detling by age and the one in the middle is 50.5.
50.5median age
DetlingKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Detling | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Detling
13pages on Detling
The big questions
Safety17.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £470K · rent £1,297 a monthHousing17 sold in 12 months · busiest street The StreetSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.6 (men), 85.9 (women)Work & commute58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Detling’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BearstedMaidstoneEcclesBurhamChathamKingswoodCoxheathDetling
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detling | 737 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bearsted | 8,349 | 1.7 | A | C− | A− | A |
| Maidstone | 109,503 | 2.8 | C+ | C+ | D | C |
| Eccles | 1,706 | 4.4 | — | B+ | B | C+ |
| Burham | 1,293 | 4.5 | — | B | B− | C+ |
| Chatham | 76,956 | 4.7 | D | B− | D | D |
| Kingswood | 1,371 | 5.2 | — | C− | A− | B |
| Coxheath | 8,453 | 5.3 | C+ | C | B− | B |
Eccles, Burham and Kingswood have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Detling
How many listed buildings are there in Detling?
That is 9.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Martin of Tours.
Is Detling expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £450,000 and detached houses £505,000. Private rents in the Maidstone council area averaged £1,297 a month in August 2026.
How much is council tax in Detling?
Band D council tax in Detling is £2,560 for 2026–27, more than in 79% 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 Detling
Village in Kent, England
Detling is a built-up area of 737 people, in the Maidstone 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
- 737 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Maidstone
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005395
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.