Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
391 people live in this village in Northamptonshire, East Midlands.
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Barnwell has none; the figures on this page are still real. 30 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I. On the way to work, 16% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. People aged 65 and over make up 27% of residents.
The 3 things Barnwell does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Barnwell’s built-up area, along with 2 scheduled monuments.
42% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Barnwell.
The 15-to-24 age group makes up 9% of residents. The median resident of Barnwell is 52.4 years old. Degrees are held by 43% of adults, above both Northamptonshire’s towns (29%) and England’s towns (34%).
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Barnwell | Northamptonshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 35% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.1% | 6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northamptonshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Working mainly from home: 37% of workers, higher than both Northamptonshire’s towns (26%) and England’s towns (31%), and 83% of commuters took the car to work at the census. About 8% of its commuters stay in Barnwell for work. Before tax, the average household brings in £64K a year.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Owners make up 57% of households, below both Northamptonshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £992 a month across the North Northamptonshire council area. 14% of households live in social housing.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £611,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 55% of recorded crime. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 11 crimes inside Barnwell’s built-up area. Burglary and damage came to 10.2 per 1,000 residents a year, higher than both Northamptonshire’s towns (8.1) and England’s towns (9.4).
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.
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.
The nearest A&E to Barnwell is Peterborough City Hospital, 11.8 miles away. At the census, 84% of people in Barnwell called their health good or very good, above Northamptonshire’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Barnwell | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.1% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Barnwell’s land, 27% lies in conservation areas, above both Northamptonshire’s towns (6%) and England’s towns (7%). The town’s listed buildings include Barnwell Castle, Grade I. Listed buildings per head: 767 for every 10,000 residents of the town. The top grade, Grade I, goes to 2 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Barnwell. Best known first.
CastleBarnwell Castlein town
Historic houseLilford Hall1.9 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumOundle Museum2.9 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnwell | 391 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oundle | 6,252 | 2.4 | A− | D | B+ | A |
| Warmington | 1,045 | 4.4 | — | D | A | A |
| Thrapston | 7,239 | 5 | B− | C+ | B | B |
| Brigstock | 1,436 | 6.4 | — | C− | B− | B |
| Ringstead | 1,369 | 7 | — | C+ | C+ | C+ |
| Woodford | 1,472 | 7 | — | B− | B− | C+ |
| Sawtry | 5,870 | 7.3 | A− | A | B− | B+ |
Warmington, Brigstock, Ringstead and Woodford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 31.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Barnwell Castle. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Band D council tax in Barnwell is £2,433 for 2026–27, less than in 52% 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.
Village in Northamptonshire, England
Barnwell is a built-up area of 391 people, in the North Northamptonshire 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
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.