Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The village, home to 345 people, lies in Northumberland, North East.
There are no grades for Lesbury: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. 48% of residents are 65 or over. 14 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I.
The 3 things Lesbury does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 14 buildings inside Lesbury’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
30% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
The archive holds 1 old photo or postcard going back to 1773 and a map from 1895.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Lesbury. Best known first.
CastleAlnwick Castle4.7 km outside town, to the west
Heritage railwayAln Valley Railway2.2 km outside town, to the west
MuseumNorthumberland Fusiliers Museum4.8 km outside town, to the west
MuseumBailiffgate Museum4.9 km outside town, to the west
MuseumFerryman’s Hut Museum1.5 km outside town, to the southeastAttractionAttractionThe Treehouse4.2 km outside town, to the westPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lesbury.
People 65 and over make up 48% of the town, higher than both Northumberland’s towns (25%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 6.1% of the population. Half the people of Lesbury are older than 63.8. Children under 15 count for 8.1% of the people here.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Lesbury | Northumberland | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.1% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.1% | 9.4% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 8.1% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 48% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 9% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.4% | 7.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 9.3% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 56% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northumberland and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Its one school is below. Key Stage 2 results at the one primary school within 3 km: 63% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town’s primary school has 102 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hipsburn Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 102 | B− |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 43% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
2.1% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, below Northumberland’s towns (2.6%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. The car carried 84% of commuters at the census. Add to that, at the census, 43% of workers worked mainly from home.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Private renters make up 9% of households. 82% of households own their home, above both Northumberland’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). That is the middle of 17 standard sales inside Lesbury’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £740,500 | 14 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Police recorded 11 crimes inside Lesbury’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 55% of the total. Homes saw 9.2 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below Northumberland’s towns (10.2) and close to 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.
A fifth of residents have a disability, between Northumberland’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (17%). Lesbury has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.8 miles away. At the census, 4% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
| Census 2021 | Lesbury | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 78% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 6.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 22% | 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.
30% of homes were built before 1919. Conservation areas cover 47% of Lesbury’s land, above both Northumberland’s towns (2%) and England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 1 of them.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesbury | 345 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Longhoughton | 1,173 | 2.3 | — | B | A+ | A− |
| Alnwick | 8,432 | 3 | C+ | B | D | C |
| Shilbottle | 1,787 | 3 | — | A− | A− | C |
| Warkworth | 1,412 | 4.1 | — | C | B+ | C+ |
| Amble | 5,852 | 5 | C− | B+ | C− | C |
| South Broomhill | 1,520 | 7.1 | — | B | C− | D |
| Felton | 1,270 | 7.5 | — | C+ | A+ | B− |
Longhoughton, Shilbottle, Warkworth, South Broomhill and Felton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Private rents in the Northumberland council area averaged £695 a month in August 2026.
That is 16.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
Village in Northumberland, England
Lesbury is a built-up area of 345 people, in the Northumberland 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.