Teston’s story
14 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Teston’s built-up area.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
TestonKent
A village of 636 in Kent, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Poliphilo · CC0
Population
636
Census 2021 · Maidstone council
Median home
£430K
33 sales in 3 years
Median age
60
40% are 65+ · Kent 19%
Degree level
33%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Teston a good place to live?
Teston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Teston stand out
The 3 things Teston 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%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Peter and St Paul; 9 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
40% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Teston.
Who lives here
An older town: 40% of people in Teston are 65 or over, more than in both Kent’s towns and England’s towns
People aged 15 to 24 are 6.2% of the population. Children under 15 make up 8.9%, lower than both Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Residents of Teston have a median age of 60.
60median age
TestonKentEngland
Ages · share of residents
40%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications16%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level33%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 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.
| Teston | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.9% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.2% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 40% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.5% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Teston than in Kent’s towns or England’s towns: 9%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Just over a quarter of commuters travelled under 5 km, below both Kent’s towns (42%) and England’s towns (45%). At the census, 85% of commuters went by car. There are 1 jobs in Teston for each resident in work.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving85%
On foot5%
Train4%
Underground, tram1%
26%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
2.6%
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
Private renting is less common in Teston than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 6%
Owners make up nine in ten households, above Kent’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. Social housing holds 4% of households. Private rents average £1,297 a month across the Maidstone council area.
£430Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Teston£430K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £602,500 | 6 |
| Semi-detached | £452,500 | 16 |
| Flat or maisonette | £160,000 | 9 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
6%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,297
average private rent a month, Maidstone council area
£2,561
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 Teston than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 5.2 per 1,000 residents a year
13% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Burglary and damage came to 8.9 per 1,000 residents a year, below Kent’s towns (12.3) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 16 recorded crimes inside Teston’s built-up area, and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour.
5.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Vehicle crime4
Other theft3
Burglary3
Violence & sexual2
Damage & arson2
Public order1
Theft from person1
Shoplifting0
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.
5.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
16
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 more common in Teston than in Kent’s towns or across England’s towns: 20% of residents
At the census, four fifths of people in Teston called their health good or very good, below Kent’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. There is no GP practice here: the nearest is 0.6 miles off. The nearest A&E to Teston is Maidstone Hospital, 2.4 miles away.
80%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Teston | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.2% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
81.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Teston is rich in listed buildings: 220 per 10,000 residents, more than in both 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.
13% of its homes were built before 1919, below Kent’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Historic England’s list names 14 listed buildings in Teston: 1 Grade II*.
14listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II13
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Peter and St Paul Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
13%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
220
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Mereworth Castle and 2 more in and around Teston
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Teston. Best known first.
CastleMereworth Castle3.2 km outside town, to the west
Fort · English HeritageSt Leonards Tower4 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionTeapot Island3.6 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 (2)
- Mereworth Castle: Antonio Visentini / Francesco Zuccarelli, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- St Leonards Tower: Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Teston
14pages on Teston
The big questions
Safety5.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £430K · rent £1,297 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 months · busiest street Tonbridge RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81.3 (men), 87 (women)Work & commute57% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Teston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WateringburyKings HillYaldingLarkfieldCoxheathWest MallingEast PeckhamTeston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teston | 636 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wateringbury | 2,248 | 0.8 | — | C+ | B | A |
| Kings Hill | 9,963 | 1.8 | A− | C− | B+ | A+ |
| Yalding | 1,549 | 2 | — | C | C | B+ |
| Larkfield | 26,147 | 3.2 | C+ | C+ | C+ | B− |
| Coxheath | 8,453 | 3.2 | C+ | C | B− | B |
| West Malling | 4,251 | 3.2 | B | C+ | C | A− |
| East Peckham | 2,144 | 3.7 | — | C | B | B− |
Wateringbury, Yalding and East Peckham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Teston
How many listed buildings are there in Teston?
That is 9 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Teston expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £430,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £160,000, semi-detached houses £452,500 and detached houses £602,500.
About Teston
Village in Kent, England
Teston is a built-up area of 636 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
- 636 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Maidstone
- County
- Kent
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005508
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.