Cawston’s story
15 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Cawston’s built-up area.
33% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
CawstonNorfolk
A village of 1,114 in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Bikeboy · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,114
Census 2021 · Broadland council
Median home
£280K
51 sales in 3 years
Median age
47.8
23% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
24%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Cawston a good place to live?
Cawston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is jobs & income (C−): mean household income £51,323; 3% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £280,000 in the last three years, 5.1 times what households in the Broadland council area earn in a year.
What makes Cawston stand out
The 3 things Cawston does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
15 listed buildings
1 Grade I, including The Parish Church of St Agnes; 5.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
23% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Cawston grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Cawston is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard riskAOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →Jobs & incomeC−Open →SafetyA−Open →WalkabilityC−Open →SchoolsPrimary results beat 37% of towns in EnglandCOpen →HealthLife expectancy 81.4 for men, 84.2 for womenBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryA−Open →Outdoors71% live within 400 m of a park; 2.7 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsDOpen →Civic life0.9 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 Cawston.
HousingCost of living grade A−
Few households rent privately in Cawston: 12%, fewer than in both Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
Social housing holds just over a fifth of households, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Two thirds of households own their home. Private rents average £938 a month across the Broadland council area.
£280Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Cawston£280K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £361,250 | 22 |
| Semi-detached | £230,000 | 19 |
| Terraced | £240,000 | 9 |
67%
of households own their home · England 61%
12%
rent privately · England 21%
£938
average private rent a month, Broadland council area
£2,398
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
SchoolsC
On exam results, Cawston’s schools trail 66% of towns in England
Key Stage 2 results at the one primary school within 3 km: nearly three in five pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below is its only school. Its one primary school teaches 123 pupils.
CSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cawston Church of England Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 123 | C+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Old homes shape Cawston: 33% were built before 1919, more than in both Norfolk’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.
The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them. Cawston’s listed buildings include The Parish Church of St Agnes, Grade I. For its size, Cawston has 135 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Conservation areas cover just over a fifth of the town’s land, above both Norfolk’s towns (5%) and England’s towns (7%).
15listed buildingsA−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*1
Grade II13
Among them · Grade I
- The Parish Church of St Agnes Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
33%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
135
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Safety
Violence is recorded less often in Cawston than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 15 per 1,000 residents a year
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 36 crimes and 5 reports of anti-social behaviour inside Cawston’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences were 42% of the crimes. Homes saw 6.3 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, close to Norfolk’s towns (6) and below England’s towns (9.4).
15violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearA−Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 63% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual15
Damage & arson6
Public order5
Other theft5
Shoplifting1
Burglary1
Drugs1
Robbery1
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.
15
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
36
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 C−
Under 5 km to work: 15% in Cawston, fewer than in both Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
There are 0.5 jobs in Cawston for each resident in work. At the census, 10% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (27%) alike. About 9% of its commuters stay in Cawston for work.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot7%
Bicycle2%
15%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
25%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
3%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C−
Walkability: more walkable than 22% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Cawston than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 24% of adults
Under-15s account for 14% of the population. Cawston has a median age of 47.8. 23% of residents are 65 or over, near Norfolk’s towns (24%) and higher than England’s towns (18%).
47.8median age
CawstonNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
23%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications22%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level24%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Cawston | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 22% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.5% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Health
80% of people in Cawston rate their health good or very good
There is no GP practice in Cawston: the nearest is 2.4 miles off. The nearest A&E to Cawston is Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, 10.7 miles away. Disability touches 20% of the town’s population.
80%good or very good healthBHealth Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Cawston | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.3% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
81.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Abel Heath - Open Access Land and 2 more in and around Cawston
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Cawston. Best known first.
Park or estatePark or estate · National TrustAbel Heath - Open Access Land4.6 km outside town, to the northeastChurchChurchOulton Chapel4.8 km outside town, to the northAttractionAttractionWhitwell & Reepham Restored Railway Station4.5 km outside town, to the southwest
Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Cawston
15pages on Cawston
The big questions
SafetyA−15 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingA−Median home £280K · rent £938 a monthHousing15 sold in 12 months · busiest street Norwich RoadSchoolsC1 state schoolHealthBLife expectancy 81.4 (men), 84.2 (women)Work & commuteC−52% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Cawston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ReephamAylshamHevinghamHorsfordTaverham and DraytonFoulshamBristonCawston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cawston | 1,114 | — | — | A− | A− | B |
| Reepham | 2,317 | 2.2 | — | B+ | B+ | B+ |
| Aylsham | 7,183 | 3.9 | B+ | B | B | B+ |
| Hevingham | 1,039 | 4.3 | — | B+ | A | B− |
| Horsford | 4,396 | 5.6 | A− | A− | B | B |
| Taverham and Drayton | 14,989 | 6.2 | A | B | A | B+ |
| Foulsham | 1,025 | 6.6 | — | A | B+ | B |
| Briston | 1,983 | 7.2 | — | D | A− | B |
Reepham, Hevingham, Foulsham and Briston have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Cawston
How many listed buildings are there in Cawston?
That is 5.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Parish Church of St Agnes.
Is Cawston safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades A−.
Are schools in Cawston good?
Primary results trail 64% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Norfolk council.
About Cawston
Village in Norfolk, England
Cawston is a built-up area of 1,114 people, in the Broadland 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
- 1,114 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Broadland
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002241
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.