Gillingham’s story
3 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Gillingham’s built-up area.
29% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
GillinghamNorfolk
A village of 697 in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Evelyn Simak · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
697
Census 2021 · South Norfolk council
Median home
£279K
36 sales in 3 years
Median age
49.9
30% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Gillingham a good place to live?
Gillingham has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Gillingham stand out
The 3 things Gillingham 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
29% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
30% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gillingham.
Who lives here
Gillingham skews older, with 30% of residents 65 or over, more than Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns
For Gillingham, that is above both Norfolk’s towns (24%) and England’s towns (18%). Children under 15 make up 13% of residents. Half the people of Gillingham are older than 49.9.
49.9median age
GillinghamNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
30%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Gillingham | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.5% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Gillingham
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gillingham St Michael's Church of England Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 41 | B+ |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Gillingham walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Norfolk’s towns or England’s towns: 9%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 23% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Gillingham sits below both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (27%) on this measure. For 25% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot5%
Bus2%
Bicycle2%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
23%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£51K
mean household income, before tax
2.5%
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 Gillingham own their home: 80%, more than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns
That puts Gillingham above both Norfolk’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private renters make up 9% of households.
£279Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Gillingham£279K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £397,500 | 20 |
| Semi-detached | £230,000 | 12 |
80%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£981
average private rent a month, South Norfolk council area
£2,414
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
Violent crime runs low in Gillingham: 9.1 per 1,000 residents a year, under Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
On this, Gillingham is below both Norfolk’s towns (18.9) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 9 crimes inside Gillingham’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Homes see 5.7 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year.
9.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Other theft0
Anti-social3
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.
9.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.9
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
9
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Health
Just 4.2% of people in Gillingham say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
In the comparison, Gillingham comes below both Norfolk’s towns (5.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Gillingham has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.4 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
81%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Gillingham | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 17% |
81.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.5
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
History
Gillingham keeps more of its old housing than Norfolk or England’s towns: 29% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Gillingham has 3 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 0 Grade II*.
3listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
29%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
43
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Mettingham Castle and 2 more in and around Gillingham
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Gillingham. Best known first.
CastleMettingham Castle4.9 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic house · English HeritageRaveningham Hall4.6 km outside town, to the north
MuseumBeccles and District Museum1.6 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Mettingham Castle: Graham Horn, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Raveningham Hall: Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Beccles and District Museum: Ashley Dace, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Gillingham
13pages on Gillingham
The big questions
Safety9.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £279K · rent £981 a monthHousing10 sold in 12 months · busiest street Hemmant WaySchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81.5 (men), 82.5 (women)Work & commute39% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards19.8% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Gillingham’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BecclesWorlinghamThurltonDitchinghamBungayLoddonChedgraveGillingham
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gillingham | 697 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Beccles | 9,807 | 1.7 | B | A | C | C |
| Worlingham | 3,618 | 2.4 | A | A− | A | B+ |
| Thurlton | 1,145 | 4 | — | A− | A− | B |
| Ditchingham | 1,997 | 4.3 | — | A | A | B |
| Bungay | 5,012 | 4.6 | C+ | A | C+ | B− |
| Loddon | 2,247 | 5.2 | — | A− | C− | B |
| Chedgrave | 1,053 | 5.7 | — | A− | A− | B |
Thurlton, Ditchingham, Loddon and Chedgrave have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Gillingham
How many listed buildings are there in Gillingham?
3 on Historic England’s list. That is 1.8 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Gillingham?
Band D council tax in Gillingham is £2,414 for 2026–27, less than in 56% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
About Gillingham
Village in Norfolk, England
Gillingham is a built-up area of 697 people, in the South 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
- 697 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Norfolk
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002836
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.