Briston’s story
10 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Briston’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BristonNorfolk
A village of 1,983 in Norfolk, East of England. 11% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: HazelJMills · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,983
Census 2021 · North Norfolk council
Median home
£319K
82 sales in 3 years
Median age
51.7
31% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
26%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Briston a good place to live?
Briston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is safety (A−): 14.1 violent and sexual offences and 6.2 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is schools (D−): primary results beat 1% of towns in England. The median home sold for £318,750 in the last three years, 7.1 times what households in the North Norfolk council area earn in a year.
What makes Briston stand out
The 3 things Briston does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% 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 All Saints; 2.1 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Primary results, towns in England
Schools
Primary results trail 99%
of towns in England, on Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths
Department for Education.
How Briston grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Briston is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 1% of towns in EnglandD−Open →Cost of livingDOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →SafetyA−Open →WalkabilityCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 82 for men, 86.4 for womenBOpen →Hazard risk0.4% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryB−Open →Outdoors69% live within 400 m of a park; 2.7 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsDOpen →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 Briston.
SchoolsD−
Results at Briston’s schools are among the lowest in England
The town has one school, shown below. At the one primary school within 3 km, 37% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
D−School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astley Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 200 | D− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
HousingCost of living grade D
More households own their home in Briston than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 73%
Social housing holds 8% of households. The median sale, £318,750, comes from 82 standard sales inside Briston’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. Private rents average £865 a month across the North Norfolk council area.
£319Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Briston£319K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £365,000 | 49 |
| Semi-detached | £250,000 | 11 |
| Terraced | £184,250 | 20 |
73%
of households own their home · England 61%
18%
rent privately · England 21%
£865
average private rent a month, North Norfolk council area
£2,435
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
Per resident, Briston sees less crime than 82% of UK towns
Police figures for Briston’s built-up area: 59 crimes and 5 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.7 reports per 1,000, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (5) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for nearly half of recorded crime.
14.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 67% 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 & sexual29
Damage & arson8
Public order6
Other theft6
Other crime4
Burglary2
Weapons2
Drugs1
Anti-social5
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.
14.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
59
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Under 5 km to work: 18% in Briston, fewer than in both Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 86% of commuters went by car. 2.9% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). Households take home £48K a year before tax, on average. Of the commuters living in Briston, 9% work in the town itself.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving86%
On foot7%
Bicycle3%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
22%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£48K
mean household income, before tax
2.9%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 35% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
People in Briston live longer lives than in 84% of UK towns
Self-reported good health: 78% of Briston’s residents. Seeing a GP means leaving Briston: the nearest practice is 5 miles away. The nearest A&E to Briston is Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, 17.5 miles away.
78%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Briston | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
82
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Who lives here
An older town: 31% of people in Briston are 65 or over, more than in both Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.7% of the town, below Norfolk’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%) alike. Half the people of Briston are older than 51.7. Graduates make up just over a quarter of adults.
51.7median age
BristonNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications23%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level26%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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.
| Briston | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.3% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 26% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
History
10 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Nearly a fifth of its homes were built before 1919, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 1 of them. Relative to its size, Briston keeps 50 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
10listed buildingsB−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II9
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of All Saints Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
50
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 Briston
13pages on Briston
The big questions
SafetyA−14.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingDMedian home £319K · rent £865 a monthHousing36 sold in 12 months · busiest street Hall StreetSchoolsD−1 state schoolHealthBLife expectancy 82 (men), 86.4 (women)Work & commuteD48% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsC+0.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Briston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Melton ConstableHoltFoulshamReephamCawstonFakenhamNorth ElmhamBriston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briston | 1,983 | — | — | D | A− | B |
| Melton Constable | 1,176 | 1 | — | C+ | A− | B |
| Holt | 4,014 | 4.1 | D | D− | C | B |
| Foulsham | 1,025 | 5.3 | — | A | B+ | B |
| Reepham | 2,317 | 6.4 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Cawston | 1,114 | 7.2 | — | A− | A− | B |
| Fakenham | 8,390 | 8.6 | D | D | B− | C |
| North Elmham | 1,172 | 8.7 | — | C | A | B |
Melton Constable, Foulsham, Reepham, Cawston and North Elmham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Briston
Are schools in Briston good?
One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Norfolk council.
How many listed buildings are there in Briston?
That is 2.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
About Briston
Village in Norfolk, England
Briston is a built-up area of 1,983 people, in the North Norfolk 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
- 1,983 (Census 2021)
- Council
- North Norfolk
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002120
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.