Sole Street’s story
3 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Sole Street’s built-up area.
34% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Sole StreetKent
A village of 988 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Danny Robinson · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
988
Census 2021 · Gravesham council
Median home
£663K
33 sales in 3 years
Median age
51
29% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
35%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sole Street a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Sole Street has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 9% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Homes sell for a median £662,500. Pre-1919 homes make up 34% of the housing.
What makes Sole Street stand out
The 3 things Sole Street does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
9% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.4 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sole Street.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Sole Street: just 15% travel under 5 km, below Kent’s towns and 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.
At the census, 88% of commuters went by car. Working mainly from home: just over two in five workers, above both Kent’s towns (30%) and England’s towns (31%). Income per household averages £65K a year, before tax. About 1% of its commuters stay in Sole Street for work.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
Train5%
On foot4%
Bicycle1%
15%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
41%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£65K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
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
Sole Street is a town of owners: 84% of households own their home, above Kent’s towns and England’s towns
Social housing holds 7% of households, lower than both Kent’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%). Nearly one in ten households rent privately. Private rents average £1,336 a month across the Gravesham council area.
£663Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sole Street£663K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £731,250 | 22 |
| Semi-detached | £550,000 | 7 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,336
average private rent a month, Gravesham council area
£2,515
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 Sole Street than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 9.8 per 1,000 residents a year
Violence and sexual offences made up three fifths of the total. Over the year to August 2026, 20 offences were reported in Sole Street, along with 1 incidents of anti-social behaviour. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.4 reports per 1,000, lower than both Kent’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8).
9.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual12
Other theft2
Burglary2
Vehicle crime2
Weapons1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Anti-social1
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.
9.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
20
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
Just 2% of people in Sole Street say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Kent’s towns and across England’s towns
Self-reported good health: 87% of Sole Street’s residents. At the census, 14% of people here had a disability, below both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%). There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 1.5 miles off.
87%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Sole Street | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
81.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
Sole Street’s listed buildings: 3, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Sole Street has 3 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list, all Grade II.
3listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
34%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
30
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
Older residents shape Sole Street: 29% are 65 or over, above Kent’s towns and England’s towns
15% of residents are children under 15. Young adults of 15 to 24 are nearly one in ten residents, below Kent’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Sole Street has a median age of 51. Degrees are held by 35% of adults.
51median age
Sole StreetKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
29%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level35%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sole Street | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 29% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Owletts and 3 more in and around Sole Street
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Sole Street. Best known first.
Historic houseOwletts800 m outside town, to the northeastMuseumMuseumCold War Bunker4.6 km outside town, to the northWater parkWater parkSt Andrews Lakes Watersports4.6 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionCobham War Memorial1.4 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Owletts: David Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sole Street
13pages on Sole Street
The big questions
Safety9.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £663K · rent £1,336 a monthHousing8 sold in 12 months · busiest street Sallows ShawSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81.9 (men), 86.1 (women)Work & commute59% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Sole Street’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
MeophamIstead RiseShorneGravesendLongfield, New Ash Green and HartleyCuxtonHallingSole Street
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole Street | 988 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Meopham | 4,349 | 1.1 | B | D | B | A− |
| Istead Rise | 3,398 | 1.8 | B+ | D | A | A− |
| Shorne | 1,038 | 2.7 | — | D | B | A− |
| Gravesend | 58,105 | 2.9 | D | C− | D | C− |
| Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley | 16,077 | 2.9 | B | C− | B− | B |
| Cuxton | 3,039 | 3.3 | B+ | C− | A | B− |
| Halling | 2,926 | 3.6 | C+ | C− | B | B− |
Shorne has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Sole Street
Is Sole Street expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £550,000 and detached houses £731,250.
How many listed buildings are there in Sole Street?
3 on Historic England’s list. That is 1.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Sole Street?
Band D council tax in Sole Street is £2,515 for 2026–27, more than in 68% 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 Sole Street
Village in Kent, England
Sole Street is a built-up area of 988 people, in the Gravesham 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
- 988 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Gravesham
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005158
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.