Great Bircham’s story
2 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Great Bircham’s built-up area.
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Great BirchamNorfolk
A village of 213 in Norfolk, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Sandy Gerrard · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
213
Census 2021 · King's Lynn and West Norfolk council
Median home
£438K
10 sales in 3 years
Median age
62.8
46% are 65+ · Norfolk 24%
Degree level
44%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
9%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Great Bircham a good place to live?
Great Bircham has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Great Bircham stand out
The 3 things Great Bircham 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%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
46% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 listed buildings
1 Grade I, including Church of St Mary; 3.9 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Great Bircham.
Who lives here
An older town: 46% of people in Great Bircham are 65 or over, more than in both Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
5.6% of residents are 15 to 24, below both Norfolk’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). The median resident of Great Bircham is 62.8 years old. Also worth knowing: among adults, 44% have a degree.
62.8median age
Great BirchamNorfolkEngland
Ages · share of residents
46%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level44%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Great Bircham | Norfolk | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 8.8% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 46% | 24% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 21% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.4% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 26% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Norfolk and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 3% of Great Bircham’s commuters work within 5 km, fewer than in both Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 9% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, lower than both Norfolk’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (27%). Driving is how just over nine in ten commuters got to work at the census. In 2026, 3.4% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
9%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot4%
Train2%
Bicycle2%
3%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
40%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£48K
mean household income, before tax
3.4%
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
Homes in Great Bircham cost more than in both Norfolk’s towns and England’s towns, with a median sale of £438K
Owners make up nearly four in five households. Private rents average £941 a month across the King's Lynn and West Norfolk council area. 21% rent privately, about level with England’s towns (21%) and above Norfolk’s towns (19%).
£438Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Great Bircham£438K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £460,000 | 5 |
79%
of households own their home · England 61%
21%
rent privately · England 21%
£941
average private rent a month, King's Lynn and West Norfolk council area
£2,434
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
Crime recorded by police in Great Bircham
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 4 crimes inside Great Bircham’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 50% of recorded crime. Burglary and damage came to 7.8 per 1,000 residents a year, above Norfolk’s towns (6.1) but below England’s towns (9.4).
17.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual2
Other theft2
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
17.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
4
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 Great Bircham live with a disability than in Norfolk’s towns or across England’s towns: 25%
Great Bircham has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 5.9 miles away. 3.3% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, below Norfolk’s towns (5.6%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. The nearest A&E to Great Bircham is The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 10.4 miles away.
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Great Bircham | Norfolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 79% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.3% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 25% | 20% | 17% |
83
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.3
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
Old homes shape Great Bircham: 28% 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.
Great Bircham’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. For its size, Great Bircham has 94 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both Norfolk’s towns (44) and England’s towns (39). Historic England’s list names 2 listed buildings in the town: 1 Grade I.
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II1
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Mary Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
28%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
94
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 →Houghton Hall and 2 more in and around Great Bircham
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Great Bircham. Best known first.
Historic houseHoughton Hall4 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseAnmer Hall3.8 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionGreat Bircham Windmill500 m outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Houghton Hall: Hans A. Rosbach, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Anmer Hall: Richard Humphrey, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Great Bircham
13pages on Great Bircham
The big questions
Safety17.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £438K · rent £941 a monthHousing5 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83 (men), 83.3 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Great Bircham’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
DersinghamSnettishamHeachamHunstantonGaytonFakenhamKing's LynnGreat Bircham
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Bircham | 213 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dersingham | 4,753 | 5.3 | B | C− | A | B− |
| Snettisham | 2,709 | 5.5 | B− | D | A | C |
| Heacham | 3,978 | 6.6 | C | C− | B+ | C |
| Hunstanton | 4,230 | 7.7 | D | C− | C | C− |
| Gayton | 1,522 | 8.7 | — | C− | B− | B− |
| Fakenham | 8,390 | 9.7 | D | D | B− | C |
| King's Lynn | 47,604 | 11 | D | B− | D | D |
Gayton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Great Bircham
How many listed buildings are there in Great Bircham?
2 on Historic England’s list, 1 of them Grade I. That is 3.9 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary.
About Great Bircham
Village in Norfolk, England
Great Bircham is a built-up area of 213 people, in the King's Lynn and West 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
- 213 (Census 2021)
- Council
- King's Lynn and West Norfolk
- County
- Norfolk
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002122
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.