Bitteswell’s story
14 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Bitteswell’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BitteswellLeicestershire
With 531 residents, it is a village in Leicestershire, East Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Stephen McKay · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
531
Census 2021 · Harborough council
Median home
£654K
22 sales in 3 years
Median age
54.3
31% are 65+ · Leicestershire 17%
Degree level
40%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
22%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Bitteswell a good place to live?
Bitteswell is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. Its listed buildings number 14, with 0 at Grade I. The median sale price is £653,500. Over-65s are 31% of the population.
What makes Bitteswell stand out
The 3 things Bitteswell does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Mary; 10.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.4 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
31% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bitteswell.
Who lives here
Bitteswell skews older, with 31% of residents 65 or over, more than Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns
40% of adults hold a degree, above both Leicestershire’s towns (30%) and England’s towns (34%). The under-15s are 13% of the population here. The median resident of Bitteswell is 54.3 years old. Aged 15 to 24: just over one in ten residents.
54.3median age
BitteswellLeicestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar12%
Degree level40%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Bitteswell | Leicestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 8.3% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 36% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 12% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 30% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Leicestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Bitteswell
Attainment 8 at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km averages 49.2, and 48% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. The one school in town appears below. Key Stage 2 results at the 4 primary schools within 3 km: 55% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, BitteswellLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 104 | B− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Household income in Bitteswell, £64K a year, runs above Leicestershire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 51% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
22% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.4% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below both Leicestershire’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (2.3%). For just over a third of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Of the commuters living in Bitteswell, 15% work in the town itself.
22%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving77%
On foot19%
Bicycle2%
Train1%
35%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
51%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£64K
mean household income, before tax
1.4%
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
More households own their home in Bitteswell than in Leicestershire’s towns or across England’s towns: 79%
Social housing holds 8% of households, below both Leicestershire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how 12% of households live. Private rents average £973 a month across the Harborough council area.
£654Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Bitteswell£654K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £675,000 | 19 |
79%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£973
average private rent a month, Harborough 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
Bitteswell records less violent crime per resident than Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns, at 6.9 per 1,000 a year
Of all the crimes, 35% were violence and sexual offences. Police figures for Bitteswell’s built-up area: 17 crimes and 9 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Homes saw 10 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below Leicestershire’s towns (11.9) but above England’s towns (9.4).
6.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6
Damage & arson4
Other theft3
Public order2
Burglary2
Shoplifting0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social9
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.
6.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
17
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
More people in Bitteswell say their health is bad than in Leicestershire’s towns or across England’s towns: 6.2%
Bitteswell has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1 miles away. At the census, 18% of people here had a disability, above Leicestershire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. The nearest A&E to Bitteswell is University Hospital, 10.1 miles away.
83%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Bitteswell | Leicestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.2% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
81.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
Much of Bitteswell is a conservation area: 66% of its land, more than Leicestershire’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Scaled to its population, that is 264 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in Bitteswell. Homes from before 1919 make up nearly a fifth of the total, above both Leicestershire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 1 of them.
14listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II13
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Mary Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
264
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 Bitteswell
14pages on Bitteswell
The big questions
Safety6.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £654K · rent £973 a monthHousing5 sold in 12 months · busiest street Ashby LaneSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81.9 (men), 86 (women)Work & commute66% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Bitteswell’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LutterworthUllesthorpeGilmortonBroughton AstleySharnfordSapcoteCosbyBitteswell
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitteswell | 531 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lutterworth | 10,519 | 0.7 | A− | A+ | B− | B− |
| Ullesthorpe | 1,162 | 2 | — | A | B− | A− |
| Gilmorton | 1,239 | 2.6 | — | B+ | B+ | A |
| Broughton Astley | 9,649 | 4.1 | A | A+ | B+ | B+ |
| Sharnford | 1,066 | 5.1 | — | B+ | B | B |
| Sapcote | 3,266 | 5.5 | B− | B | C+ | B− |
| Cosby | 3,518 | 5.9 | B+ | B+ | B+ | B+ |
Ullesthorpe, Gilmorton and Sharnford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Bitteswell
How many listed buildings are there in Bitteswell?
That is 10.8 times the typical UK town for its size.
About Bitteswell
Village in Leicestershire, England
Bitteswell is a built-up area of 531 people, in the Harborough 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
- 531 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Harborough
- County
- Leicestershire
- Region
- East Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002921
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.