Whittingham’s story
33 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Whittingham’s built-up area.
54% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WhittinghamNorthumberland
A village of 228 in Northumberland, North East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Gordon Hatton · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
228
Census 2021 · Northumberland council
Median age
60.7
42% are 65+ · Northumberland 25%
Degree level
29%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
6%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Whittingham a good place to live?
Whittingham has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Whittingham stand out
The 3 things Whittingham does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
6% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
42% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Whittingham.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Whittingham: 42% are 65 or over, above Northumberland’s towns and England’s towns
Degrees are held by 29% of adults. Children under 15 make up 9.7%, below both Northumberland’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are 5.8% of the population. Ages in Whittingham split evenly at 60.7: half are older, half younger.
60.7median age
WhittinghamNorthumberlandEngland
Ages · share of residents
42%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship11%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level29%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 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.
| Whittingham | Northumberland | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.7% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.8% | 9.4% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 22% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 28% | 25% |
| 65+ | 42% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 11% | 7.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Northumberland and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Only 6% of commuters in Whittingham go to work without a car, fewer than in Northumberland’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car carried 92% of commuters at the census. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 17%, lower than both Northumberland’s towns (34%) and England’s towns (45%). Also worth knowing: average household income comes to £50K a year before tax. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters.
6%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot5%
Train2%
17%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
24%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£50K
mean household income, before tax
2.1%
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
Private renting is less common in Whittingham than in Northumberland’s towns or across England’s towns: 11%
Two thirds of households own their home, about level with Northumberland’s towns (65%) and above England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £695 a month across the Northumberland council area. Council and housing-body homes hold 20% of households.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Whittingham£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £450,000 | 5 |
67%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£695
average private rent a month, Northumberland council area
£2,539
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
Homes in Whittingham see less burglary and damage than in Northumberland’s towns or England’s towns: 3.1 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences were two thirds of the crimes. Violent crime ran at 17 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Northumberland’s towns (25.8) and England’s towns (22). The 12 months to August 2026 brought 6 recorded crimes inside Whittingham’s built-up area, and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour.
17violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual4
Public order1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Other theft0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social1
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
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
18.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
6
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
Whittingham is 25.9 miles from the nearest A&E
21% of residents have a disability, about level with Northumberland’s towns (22%) and above England’s towns (17%). Seeing a GP means leaving Whittingham: the nearest practice is 6.5 miles away. Self-reported good health: 78% of the town’s residents.
78%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Whittingham | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 78% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.1% | 6.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 22% | 17% |
82.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More of the land in Whittingham is conservation area than in Northumberland’s towns or England’s towns: 68%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Of Whittingham’s 33 listed buildings on Historic England’s list, Grade I counts 1 and Grade II* 1. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Bartholomew, Grade I. It has 1,447 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both Northumberland’s towns (49) and England’s towns (39). Homes built before 1919 account for 54% of the housing.
33listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*1
Grade II31
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Bartholomew Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
54%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
1,447
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Whittingham
12pages on Whittingham
The big questions
Whittingham’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
RothburyAlnwickLongframlingtonShilbottleFeltonLonghoughtonWoolerWhittingham
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whittingham | 228 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rothbury | 2,025 | 6.2 | — | B− | A− | A− |
| Alnwick | 8,432 | 7.5 | C+ | B | D | C |
| Longframlington | 1,357 | 7.7 | — | C | A+ | A− |
| Shilbottle | 1,787 | 8.3 | — | A− | A− | C |
| Felton | 1,270 | 9.9 | — | C+ | A+ | B− |
| Longhoughton | 1,173 | 11 | — | B | A+ | A− |
| Wooler | 1,930 | 11 | — | A− | B− | B |
Rothbury, Longframlington, Shilbottle, Felton, Longhoughton and Wooler have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Whittingham
How many listed buildings are there in Whittingham?
That is 59.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Bartholomew.
How much is council tax in Whittingham?
Band D council tax in Whittingham is £2,539 for 2026–27, more than in 73% 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.
About Whittingham
Village in Northumberland, England
Whittingham is a built-up area of 228 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
- Population
- 228 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Northumberland
- County
- Northumberland
- Region
- North East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000016
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.