Mears Ashby’s story
29 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Mears Ashby’s built-up area.
26% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Mears AshbyNorthamptonshire
Population 457: a village in Northamptonshire, East Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Historyman93 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
457
Census 2021 · North Northamptonshire council
Median home
£563K
22 sales in 3 years
Median age
52
27% are 65+ · Northamptonshire 17%
Degree level
38%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Mears Ashby a good place to live?
Mears Ashby is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. One in ten commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 29 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. The median home sold for £562,500.
What makes Mears Ashby stand out
The 3 things Mears Ashby 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
2 Grade II*, including Church of All Saints; 26 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Mears Ashby.
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Mears Ashby work nearby than in Northamptonshire’s towns or England’s towns: 16% travel under 5 km
10%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 44% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 44% of workers worked mainly from home. Work in town: 4% of resident commuters. The car carried 87% of commuters at the census. Household income came to £54K a year before tax, lower than Northamptonshire’s towns (£58K) and near England’s towns (£55K).
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving87%
On foot6%
Bicycle2%
Bus1%
Train1%
16%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
44%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
2%
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
Schools
The schools around Mears Ashby
The town has one school, shown below. Key Stage 2 results at the 4 primary schools within 3 km: 57% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mears Ashby Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 72 | B |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
More households own their home in Mears Ashby than in Northamptonshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 76%
£563Kmedian sale
Private tenants account for 16% of households. Social housing holds 8% of households, lower than both Northamptonshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). From September 2023 to August 2026, 22 homes sold inside Mears Ashby’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £562,500.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Mears Ashby£563K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £635,000 | 16 |
76%
of households own their home · England 61%
16%
rent privately · England 21%
£992
average private rent a month, North Northamptonshire council area
£2,430
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
Mears Ashby records more burglary and damage per resident than Northamptonshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 16.8 per 1,000 a year
12.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Violent crime ran at 12.4 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Northamptonshire’s towns (18.1) and England’s towns (22). 11 crimes and 5 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Mears Ashby’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 27% of recorded crime.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual3
Burglary3
Shoplifting1
Damage & arson1
Public order1
Other theft1
Other crime1
Drugs0
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.
12.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
16.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
11
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
83% of people in Mears Ashby rate their health good or very good
83%good or very good health
The nearest A&E to Mears Ashby is Northampton General Hospital, 6.1 miles away. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 2 miles off. 16% of residents have a disability, about level with Northamptonshire’s towns (16%) and below England’s towns (17%).
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Mears Ashby | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.5% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
81.8
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Mears Ashby is rich in listed buildings: 635 per 10,000 residents, more than Northamptonshire’s towns or England’s towns
29listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Before 1919: that is when just over a quarter of homes were built. Conservation areas cover 58% of Mears Ashby’s land, above Northamptonshire’s towns (6%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. Grade II* covers 2 of them.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II27
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of All Saints Grade II*
- Mears Ashby Hall Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
26%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
635
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Mears Ashby has fewer young adults than Northamptonshire’s towns or England’s towns: 5.8% are 15 to 24
52median age
Children under 15 count for 14% of the people here. People 65 and over make up 27% of the town, above both Northamptonshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%). Mears Ashby has a median age of 52. Among adults, 38% have a degree.
Mears AshbyNorthamptonshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level38%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Mears Ashby | Northamptonshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.8% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 38% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northamptonshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mears Ashby
12pages on Mears Ashby
The big questions
Safety12.4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £563K · rent £992 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81.8 (men), 85.1 (women)Work & commute52% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
About Mears Ashby
Village in Northamptonshire, England
Mears Ashby is a built-up area of 457 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
- Population
- 457 (Census 2021)
- Council
- North Northamptonshire
- County
- Northamptonshire
- Region
- East Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003266
Mears Ashby’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Sywell and OverstoneEarls BartonGreat DoddingtonWellingboroughMoultonCogenhoeWollastonMears Ashby
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mears Ashby | 457 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sywell and Overstone | 1,636 | 1.3 | — | D | A− | B+ |
| Earls Barton | 6,067 | 2 | A− | C | B+ | B |
| Great Doddington | 1,147 | 2.8 | — | C | A | B+ |
| Wellingborough | 54,421 | 3.2 | C− | B | D | C− |
| Moulton | 4,953 | 3.4 | B− | C+ | D | B+ |
| Cogenhoe | 1,475 | 3.8 | — | C+ | A | A |
| Wollaston | 3,564 | 5 | C+ | C | B | B− |
Sywell and Overstone, Great Doddington and Cogenhoe have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Mears Ashby
How many listed buildings are there in Mears Ashby?
That is 26 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Mears Ashby expensive to live in?
Private rents in the North Northamptonshire council area averaged £992 a month in August 2026.
Who lives in Mears Ashby?
At the 2021 Census, 5.8% of Mears Ashby’s 457 residents were 15 to 24 and 27% were 65 or over, against 12% and 18% across England’s towns.
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.