Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 7,405 people, this town lies in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands. 49% of households own their home outright.
Southwell’s strongest subject is schools (A+): primary results beat 94% of towns in England; secondary results beat 93% of towns in England. With an A overall, Southwell is better than 93% of UK towns and ranks #9 of 49 in Nottinghamshire. Residents are healthier than most: life expectancy 82.2 for men, 83.8 for women. What counts against it is cost of living: the median home sold for £356,500, 7.1 years of area income.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years.
The 3 things Southwell does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Southwell is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 220 buildings inside Southwell’s built-up area, 2 of them Grade I, and 2 scheduled monuments.
18% 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 Southwell.
Below are two of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked. Southwell’s three primaries and one secondary have 2,105 pupils between them. Key Stage 2 results at the town’s 2 primary schools: 73% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowe's Wong Anglican Methodist Junior SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 293 | A− |
| The Minster SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,616 | A |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 33% of Southwell’s land, higher than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (5%) and England’s towns (7%). The town has 220 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 2 Grade I, 5 Grade II*. Its listed buildings include Bishop's Manor and remains of Bishop's Palace, Grade I.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Asked at the census, 83% of residents of Southwell said they were in good or very good health. The nearest A&E to Southwell is King's Mill Hospital, 12.2 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 73% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey.
| Census 2021 | Southwell | Nottinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 19% | 17% |
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.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
1.4% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026, below both Nottinghamshire’s towns (2.6%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The car carried 78% of commuters at the census. Of the commuters living in Southwell, 23% work in the town itself. The census counted 40% of workers working mainly from home.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Of all the crimes, 43% were violence and sexual offences. Homes see 12 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year. Over the year to August 2026, 235 offences were reported in Southwell, along with 37 incidents of anti-social behaviour. For its size, Southwell records less crime per resident than 78% of the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people.
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.
11% live in social housing, lower than both Nottinghamshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Private tenants account for 14% of households. 332 standard sales inside Southwell’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £356,500.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £459,840 | 176 |
| Semi-detached | £285,000 | 79 |
| Terraced | £237,500 | 47 |
| Flat or maisonette | £185,000 | 30 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
16% of residents are 15 to 24, above both Nottinghamshire’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (12%). Children under 15 make up 13% of residents. Southwell has a median age of 50.4. Among adults, 43% have a degree.
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.
| Southwell | Nottinghamshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.3% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Nottinghamshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Southwell. Best known first.
ChurchSouthwell Minsterin townHistoric siteHistoric site · National TrustThe Workhousein townMuseumMuseumMuseum of Timekeeping2.1 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionHalifax Bomber Memorial4.6 km outside town, to the westCastleCastleWinkburn Hall3.5 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
220 listed buildings in Southwell, 2 of them Grade I.
Bishop's Manor and remains of Bishop's Palace: Photo: Christine Hasman · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Greet House: Photo: DeFacto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mills Newsagents: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Crown Hotel: Photo: Alan Murray-Rust · CC BY-SA 2.0
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwell | 7,405 | — | A | C | B+ | A− |
| Farnsfield | 3,217 | 3.6 | B+ | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Farndon | 2,472 | 4.6 | — | B+ | B+ | B |
| Lowdham | 1,844 | 5.2 | — | C | A | B+ |
| Bilsthorpe | 3,490 | 5.2 | B− | A− | C | B− |
| Woodborough | 1,649 | 5.9 | — | D | A+ | B− |
| Calverton | 7,318 | 6.2 | C+ | B− | B− | C+ |
| Newark-on-Trent | 29,755 | 6.3 | C− | A− | D | C− |
Farndon, Lowdham and Woodborough have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Among the strongest in England: GCSE results beat 93% of towns in England, and primary results beat 94% (Department for Education, Attainment 8 and Key Stage 2).
That is 12.2 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I buildings include Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin with attached chapter house. It also has 2 scheduled monuments.
Band D council tax in Southwell is £2,681 for 2026–27, more than in 94% 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.
Town in Nottinghamshire, England
Southwell is a built-up area of 7,405 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
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.