Rufford’s story
11 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Rufford’s built-up area.
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
RuffordNottinghamshire
A village of 257 in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Neil Theasby · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
257
Census 2021 · Newark and Sherwood council
Median age
55.4
28% are 65+ · Nottinghamshire 18%
Degree level
43%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Rufford a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Rufford is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 8% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 11, with 1 at Grade I. 55% of households own their home with no mortgage.
What makes Rufford stand out
The 3 things Rufford does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Rufford Abbey; 17.6 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Own outright
Housing
55% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Rufford.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Rufford: just 18% travel under 5 km, below Nottinghamshire’s towns and England’s towns
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.
Driving is how nearly nine in ten commuters got to work at the census; what’s more, 44% of workers worked mainly from home, higher than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (26%) and England’s towns (31%). The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.4%. About 7% of its commuters stay in Rufford for work.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
On foot8%
18%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
44%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
1.4%
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
Rufford is a town of owners: 85% of households own their home, above Nottinghamshire’s towns and England’s towns
Private renters make up 15% of households, lower than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (21%). That is the middle of 5 standard sales inside Rufford’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Rufford£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £665,000 | 5 |
85%
of households own their home · England 61%
15%
rent privately · England 21%
£818
average private rent a month, Newark and Sherwood council area
£2,599
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
Rufford records less violent crime per resident than Nottinghamshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 5.2 per 1,000 a year
There were 3.9 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Nottinghamshire’s towns (10.8) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Police recorded 6 crimes inside Rufford’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 17% of the total.
5.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Other theft2
Burglary2
Violence & sexual1
Damage & arson1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
5.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.9
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
Bad health is less common in Rufford than in Nottinghamshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 2% of residents
The nearest A&E to Rufford is King's Mill Hospital, 8.6 miles away. Seeing a GP means leaving Rufford: the nearest practice is 1.8 miles away. 17% of residents have a disability, about level with England’s towns (17%) and below Nottinghamshire’s towns (19%).
82%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Rufford | Nottinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 19% | 17% |
82.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.9
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More buildings in Rufford are listed than in Nottinghamshire’s towns or England’s towns: 428 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them, Grade I 1. Rufford’s listed buildings include Rufford Abbey, Grade I. Homes from before 1919 make up 5% of the total, below Nottinghamshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (16%) alike.
11listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*1
Grade II9
Among them · Grade I
- Rufford Abbey Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
1
registered park and garden
5%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
428
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
Fewer children live in Rufford than in Nottinghamshire’s towns or England’s towns: 10% are under 15
28% of residents are 65 or over, higher than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Line up the people of Rufford by age and the one in the middle is 55.4. Among adults, 43% have a degree.
55.4median age
RuffordNottinghamshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
28%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level43%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Rufford | Nottinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 10% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 37% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 20% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Nottinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Rufford Abbey and 3 more in and around Rufford
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Rufford. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageRufford Abbeyin townAttractionAttractionGo Ape! Sherwood Pines2.9 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumBilsthorpe Heritage Museum3.5 km outside town, to the southAttractionAttractionMajor Oak3.7 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Rufford Abbey: Enchufla Con Clave, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Rufford
13pages on Rufford
The big questions
Rufford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
EdwinstoweBilsthorpeNew Ollerton and OllertonWalesbyForest TownFarnsfieldRainworthRufford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rufford | 257 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Edwinstowe | 5,327 | 1.8 | B | B | B | C− |
| Bilsthorpe | 3,490 | 2.4 | B− | A− | C | B− |
| New Ollerton and Ollerton | 10,870 | 2.5 | C | A− | C− | D |
| Walesby | 1,217 | 4.4 | — | B+ | A+ | B+ |
| Forest Town | 19,015 | 4.6 | C | C | B− | C− |
| Farnsfield | 3,217 | 4.8 | B+ | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Rainworth | 7,990 | 5 | C+ | A | C− | D |
Walesby has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Rufford
How many listed buildings are there in Rufford?
That is 17.6 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Rufford Abbey.
How much is council tax in Rufford?
Band D council tax in Rufford is £2,599 for 2026–27, more than in 85% 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 Rufford
Village in Nottinghamshire, England
Rufford is a built-up area of 257 people, in the Newark and Sherwood 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
- 257 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Newark and Sherwood
- County
- Nottinghamshire
- Region
- East Midlands
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63001701
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.