Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 2,037 in Kent, South East.
Ightham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is safety (A+): 6.1 violent and sexual offences and 7 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is cost of living (D): median sale £867,500, 13 years of area income; rent £1,489 a month.
The 3 things Ightham 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 Ightham is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Ightham’s built-up area.
35% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ightham. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustKnole House4.1 km outside town, to the west
Historic house · National TrustIghtham Mote700 m outside town, to the south
Historic house · National TrustOld Soar Manor2.8 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseOxon Hoath4.7 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseRiverhill House4.5 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionLavender Plantation800 m outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ightham.
Violence came to 6.1 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Kent’s towns (24.1) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 41 crimes inside Ightham’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 4 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 34% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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
Ightham Primary School’s results beat 75% of schools in England like it. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ightham Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 206 | A− |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Ightham sits above both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (16%) on this measure. For its size, Ightham has 231 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Ightham’s listed buildings include Church of St Peter, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
That puts Ightham above both Kent’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). Ightham has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1 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 | Ightham | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
On this, Ightham is above both Kent’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). 3% of households live in social housing.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,087,500 | 38 |
| Semi-detached | £634,000 | 14 |
| Terraced | £451,500 | 10 |
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 58% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In the comparison, Ightham comes below both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). At the census, 16% 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
For Ightham, that is above both Kent’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%). 23% of residents are 65 or over. Half the people of Ightham are older than 48.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Ightham | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.7% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.2% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 49% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ightham | 2,037 | — | — | D | A+ | A |
| Borough Green | 4,712 | 1.3 | B− | C | B− | A− |
| Plaxtol | 1,137 | 1.9 | — | D | A+ | A |
| Wrotham | 1,961 | 2.2 | — | C− | C | A− |
| Seal | 1,616 | 2.8 | — | D | B+ | B |
| Otford and Kemsing | 7,332 | 4 | A | D | B+ | A+ |
| Sevenoaks | 26,474 | 4.3 | A− | D | B− | A |
| Hadlow | 3,168 | 4.5 | C+ | C+ | B | B− |
Plaxtol, Wrotham and Seal have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £867,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £451,500, semi-detached houses £634,000 and detached houses £1,087,500.
That is 9.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Peter.
GCSE results trail 83% of towns in England, and primary results trail 65% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Kent council.
Village in Kent, England
Ightham is a built-up area of 2,037 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
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.