Read’s story
13 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Read’s built-up area.
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ReadLancashire
A village of 2,049 in Lancashire, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Alexander P Kapp · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,049
Census 2021 · Ribble Valley council
Median home
£283K
74 sales in 3 years
Median age
48.1
25% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
44%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Read a good place to live?
Read has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is jobs & income (A): mean household income £59,095; 1.2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Its weakest is walkability (D−): 6% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. The median home sold for £282,500 in the last three years, 5.4 times what households in the Ribble Valley council area earn in a year.
What makes Read stand out
The 3 things Read 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
0 Grade II*; 2.6 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
81%of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Safety
Less crime than 81%
of UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people
Per resident, police.uk, 3 years.
How Read grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Read is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
WalkabilityD−Open →Jobs & incomeAOpen →SafetyAOpen →HealthLife expectancy 81.9 for men, 85.7 for womenAOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 30% of towns in England; secondary results beat 13% of towns in EnglandC−Open →Cost of livingrent £818 a monthA−Open →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
History37% of homes built before 1919B+Open →Outdoors71% live within 400 m of a park; 21% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeC+Open →Civic life1.5 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryDOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Read.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A
Only 18% of Read’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 28% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 1.7. 93% of commuters drove, higher than both Lancashire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). Also worth knowing: the 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.2%. Of the commuters living in Read, 4% work in the town itself.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving93%
On foot5%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
28%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
1.2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D−
Walkability: more walkable than 4% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
SchoolsC−
Results at Read’s schools trail 84% of towns in England
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 38, with 38% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. Read St John's CofE Primary School’s results beat nearly four in five schools in England like it. The one school in town appears below. 58% of pupils at the 11 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
C−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read St John's CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 201 | A− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Safety
Violent crime runs low in Read: 10.3 per 1,000 residents a year, under Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
Homes saw 6.5 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below Lancashire’s towns (9.8) and England’s towns (9.4) alike. 54 crimes and 20 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Read’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 46% of the total.
10.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearASafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 81% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: less crime than most for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual25
Other theft9
Damage & arson8
Burglary8
Public order2
Shoplifting1
Vehicle crime1
Drugs0
Anti-social20
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.
10.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
54
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 3.1% of people in Read say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
Read has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.6 miles away. Self-reported good health: 87% of the town’s residents. At the census, 14% of people here had a disability, below both Lancashire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). Men in Read can expect to live to 81.9, women to 85.7 (2019–23).
87%good or very good healthAHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 87%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Read | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 87% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.1% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 20% | 17% |
81.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
HousingCost of living grade A−
Read is a town of owners: 84% of households own their home, above Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
3% live in social housing, below Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The private rented sector houses just over one in ten households. 74 standard sales inside Read’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £282,500.
£283Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Read£283K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £379,975 | 34 |
| Semi-detached | £300,000 | 8 |
| Terraced | £158,000 | 32 |
84%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£818
average private rent a month, Ribble Valley council area
£2,382
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
History
Read keeps more of its old housing than Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns: 37% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Read counts 63 listed buildings, above Lancashire’s towns (15) and England’s towns (39) alike. Every one of the town’s 13 listed buildings sits at Grade II, the most common listing.
13listed buildingsB+History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II13
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
37%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
63
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
Degrees are more common in Read than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 44% of adults
The middle age in Read is 48.1. People 65 and over make up a quarter of the town, above Lancashire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Under 15: 15% of residents.
48.1median age
ReadLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications9%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level44%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Read | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9.1% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.1% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Whalley Abbey and 3 more in and around Read
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Read. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageWhalley Abbey3.2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumGawthorpe Hall2.9 km outside town, to the eastHistoric houseHistoric houseMartholme1.3 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumGawthorpe Textiles Collection2.9 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)
- Whalley Abbey: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Read
15pages on Read
The big questions
SafetyA10.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingA−Median home £283K · rent £818 a monthHousing27 sold in 12 months · busiest street Whalley RoadSchoolsC−1 state schoolHealthALife expectancy 81.9 (men), 85.7 (women)Work & commuteA44% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB+0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Read’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
PadihamSabdenHaptonClayton-le-MoorsHuncoatGreat HarwoodWhalleyRead
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read | 2,049 | — | — | A− | A | A |
| Padiham | 10,121 | 1.8 | D | A− | D− | D |
| Sabden | 1,582 | 1.8 | — | A | B− | A− |
| Hapton | 2,240 | 2.4 | — | B | B− | C+ |
| Clayton-le-Moors | 7,969 | 2.5 | D | B | D | D |
| Huncoat | 1,258 | 2.6 | — | B− | C+ | C− |
| Great Harwood | 11,022 | 2.7 | D | B | D | C− |
| Whalley | 3,411 | 2.8 | B | B− | C− | A− |
Sabden, Hapton and Huncoat have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Read
How many listed buildings are there in Read?
That is 2.6 times the typical UK town for its size.
Are schools in Read good?
GCSE results trail 87% of towns in England, and primary results trail 70% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Lancashire council.
About Read
Village in Lancashire, England
Read is a built-up area of 2,049 people, in the Ribble Valley 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
- 2,049 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Ribble Valley
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi (1 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000781
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.