Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 444 in Northamptonshire, East Midlands.
Polebrook has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Polebrook does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 21 buildings inside Polebrook’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
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 Polebrook.
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.
Of the commuters living in Polebrook, 4% work in the town itself. For 23% of commuters, work was under 5 km away. Nearly nine in ten commuters drove, higher than both Northamptonshire’s towns (81%) and England’s towns (70%). Home was the main workplace for 44% of workers at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 47, with 48% at grade 5 or above in English and maths. There is one school here; it is shown below. 54% of pupils at the one primary school within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polebrook Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 70 | C |
68% of households own their home, above Northamptonshire’s towns (64%) and England’s towns (61%) alike. Council and housing-body homes hold 11% of households. Private rents average £992 a month across the North Northamptonshire council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £847,625 | 12 |
| Terraced | £210,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police figures for Polebrook’s built-up area: 4 crimes and 2 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. The violent crime rate is 13.5 per 1,000 residents a year. Also worth knowing: there were 4.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Northamptonshire’s towns (9.5) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for 75% of recorded crime.
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.
23% of residents have a disability, higher than both Northamptonshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (17%). Asked at the census, 77% of residents of Polebrook said they were in good or very good health. The nearest A&E to Polebrook is Peterborough City Hospital, 10 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Polebrook | Northamptonshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 77% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 11% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 16% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · 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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Polebrook has 473 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Its listed buildings include the Church of All Saints, Grade I. Conservation areas cover 19% of the town’s land, above Northamptonshire’s towns (6%) and England’s towns (7%) alike. The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Degrees are held by just over two in five adults. The 15-to-24 age group: 10%, lower than both Northamptonshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Line up the people of Polebrook by age and the one in the middle is 55.1.
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Polebrook | Northamptonshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 17% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.5% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.2% | 6% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northamptonshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Polebrook. Best known first.
CastleBarnwell Castle2.2 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseLilford Hall4.4 km outside town, to the southwestMuseumMuseumOundle Museum3 km outside town, to the westPhotos: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polebrook | 444 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oundle | 6,252 | 2.1 | A− | D | B+ | A |
| Warmington | 1,045 | 2.6 | — | D | A | A |
| Stilton | 2,365 | 5.9 | — | A | A− | A− |
| Sawtry | 5,870 | 6.4 | A− | A | B− | B+ |
| Thrapston | 7,239 | 6.9 | B− | C+ | B | B |
| King's Cliffe | 1,581 | 7.5 | — | C− | B+ | A− |
| Brigstock | 1,436 | 7.7 | — | C− | B− | B |
Warmington, Stilton, King's Cliffe and Brigstock have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 19.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of All Saints. 42% of Polebrook’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
By type: terraced houses £210,000 and detached houses £847,625.
Band D council tax in Polebrook is £2,405 for 2026–27, less than in 57% 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
Polebrook is a built-up area of 444 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.