Ring o' Bells’s story
2 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Ring o' Bells’ built-up area.
42% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Ring o' BellsLancashire
The village has 326 residents and lies in Lancashire, North West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Kevin Waterhouse · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
326
Census 2021 · West Lancashire council
Median home
£250K
11 sales in 3 years
Median age
51.6
25% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
42%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Ring o' Bells a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Ring o' Bells has no grades; its figures are still real. Nearly one in ten commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. 42% of homes were built before 1919. It skews older: 25% of residents are 65 or over.
What makes Ring o' Bells stand out
The 3 things Ring o' Bells 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%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
25% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ring o' Bells.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Ring o' Bells than in Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns: 12% are under 15
People aged 15 to 24 are 5.9% of the population. The age that splits Ring o' Bells in two is 51.6. Degrees are held by just over two in five adults, above Lancashire’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%) alike.
51.6median age
Ring o' BellsLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications11%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level42%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Ring o' Bells | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.9% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.7% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 26% in Ring o' Bells, fewer than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
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.
89% of commuters drove to work at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.1% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below Lancashire’s towns (2.2%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. Home was the main workplace for just over a third of workers at the census. About 1% of its commuters stay in Ring o' Bells for work.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
Train5%
On foot2%
Bicycle2%
26%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£50K
mean household income, before tax
1.1%
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
Most households in Ring o' Bells own their home: 78%, more than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
Private renters make up 15% of households. Social housing holds 7% of households, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). The median sale, £250,000, comes from 11 standard sales inside Ring o' Bells’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
£250Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Ring o' Bells£250K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | £225,000 | 5 |
78%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£805
average private rent a month, West Lancashire council area
£2,457
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 Ring o' Bells than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 11.3 per 1,000 residents a year
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 15 crimes and 4 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Ring o' Bells’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 6.1 reports per 1,000, below Lancashire’s towns (17.3) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. 7% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
11.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Other theft5
Shoplifting4
Vehicle crime3
Violence & sexual1
Public order1
Other crime1
Damage & arson0
Burglary0
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.
11.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
15
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
85% of people in Ring o' Bells say their health is good or very good, more than in Lancashire’s towns and across England’s towns
At the census, 17% of people here had a disability, lower than Lancashire’s towns (20%) and near England’s towns (17%). 4.3% of residents report bad or very bad health. There is no GP practice in Ring o' Bells: the nearest is 1.2 miles off.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Ring o' Bells | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 20% | 17% |
82.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Read these answers with age in mind: they aren’t adjusted, so younger places do better. The Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
Much of Ring o' Bells is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than in Lancashire’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.
Ring o' Bells has 2 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, all Grade II. Relative to its size, Ring o' Bells keeps 61 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above both Lancashire’s towns (15) and England’s towns (39).
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II2
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
42%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
61
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ring o' Bells
14pages on Ring o' Bells
The big questions
Safety11.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £250K · rent £805 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 months · busiest street Lathom ParkSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.2 (men), 86.6 (women)Work & commute54% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Ring o' Bells’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BurscoughParboldRuffordSkelmersdaleOrmskirkAppley BridgeCrostonRing o' Bells
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring o' Bells | 326 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Burscough | 8,773 | 1.1 | B− | B− | B− | C |
| Parbold | 2,409 | 2 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Rufford | 1,562 | 2.8 | — | C | A | C+ |
| Skelmersdale | 34,921 | 3.4 | C− | A− | D | D− |
| Ormskirk | 27,720 | 3.5 | A− | B− | B | C+ |
| Appley Bridge | 5,131 | 4.4 | — | C+ | — | B |
| Croston | 2,793 | 5.4 | A− | B+ | B | C+ |
Parbold and Rufford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Appley Bridge has no Safety Grade: Greater Manchester Police doesn’t publish to police.uk. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ring o' Bells
How many listed buildings are there in Ring o' Bells?
2 on Historic England’s list. That is 2.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Ring o' Bells expensive to live in?
Close to the typical UK town: the median sale over three years was £250,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. Private rents in the West Lancashire council area averaged £805 a month in August 2026.
About Ring o' Bells
Village in Lancashire, England
Ring o' Bells is a built-up area of 326 people, in the West Lancashire 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
- 326 (Census 2021)
- Council
- West Lancashire
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001102
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.