Ashbury’s story
Ashbury: 38% of homes built before 1919
Historic England lists 25 buildings inside Ashbury’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
38% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
AshburyOxfordshire
The village has 588 residents and lies in Oxfordshire, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Oswald Bertram · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
588
Census 2021 · Vale of White Horse council
Median home
£358K
10 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.6
25% are 65+ · Oxfordshire 18%
Degree level
44%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
16%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Ashbury a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Ashbury has no grades; its figures are still real. It has 25 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. 16% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Over-65s are a quarter of the population.
What makes Ashbury stand out
The 3 things Ashbury does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St Mary; 17.4 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
16% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
25% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ashbury.
Who lives here
An older town: 25% of people in Ashbury are 65 or over, more than in both Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
50.6median age
Among adults, 44% have a degree. People aged 15 to 24 make up 8.8% of the town, below both Oxfordshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). Typical age in Ashbury: 50.6, the median.
AshburyOxfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
25%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar14%
Degree level44%
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.
| Ashbury | Oxfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 16% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 34% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Oxfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Ashbury
Below is its only school. 59% of pupils at the 2 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town’s primary school has 48 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbury With Compton Beauchamp Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 48 | C |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Ashbury: just 11% travel under 5 km, below Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
16%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 45% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
1.7% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. The car took 83% of commuters, above both Oxfordshire’s towns (69%) and England’s towns (70%). Working from home was the norm for 45% of workers at the census.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving83%
On foot9%
Bicycle3%
Bus3%
Train1%
11%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
45%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£71K
mean household income, before tax
1.7%
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
Homes in Ashbury sell for £358K at the median, against £432K in Oxfordshire’s towns and £308K in England’s towns
£358Kmedian sale
Private rents average £1,352 a month across the Vale of White Horse council area. Social housing holds 16% of households, about level with Oxfordshire’s towns (15%) and below England’s towns (18%). Just over a fifth of households rent privately.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Ashbury£358K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £325,000 | 5 |
22%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,352
average private rent a month, Vale of White Horse council area
£2,543
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
Violent crime runs low in Ashbury: 14.2 per 1,000 residents a year, under Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
14.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reported offences in Ashbury came to 12 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 1. There were 2.3 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Oxfordshire’s towns (4.8) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences accounted for just over two fifths of recorded crime.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual5
Burglary3
Vehicle crime3
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Drugs0
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.
14.2
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
2.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
12
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 Ashbury than in Oxfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 2.2% of residents
88%good or very good health
14% of residents have a disability, near Oxfordshire’s towns (15%) and lower than England’s towns (17%). Self-reported good health: 88% of Ashbury’s residents. This Oxfordshire town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 2.8 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Ashbury | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.2% | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
81.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.3
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
Ashbury keeps more of its old housing than Oxfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 38% built before 1919
25listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Ashbury’s listed buildings include the Church of St Mary, Grade I. Relative to its size, Ashbury keeps 425 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, above both Oxfordshire’s towns (105) and England’s towns (39). Grade II* covers 1 of them, Grade I 1.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*1
Grade II23
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Mary Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
38%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
425
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 Ashbury
14pages on Ashbury
The big questions
Safety14.2 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £358K · rent £1,352 a monthHousing5 sold in 12 monthsSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 81.7 (men), 86.3 (women)Work & commute61% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Uffington Castle and 6 more in and around Ashbury
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Ashbury. Best known first.
Fort · English HeritageUffington Castle3.3 km outside town, to the east
Historic house · National TrustAshdown Park3.4 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumMuseumRoyal Army Chaplains' Museum4.1 km outside town, to the northHistoric siteHistoric site · English HeritageWayland's Smithy1.3 km outside town, to the eastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustThe Coombes3.9 km outside town, to the southwestHistoric houseHistoric house · National TrustAshdown House3.3 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Uffington Castle: Andrew Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ashdown Park: Brian Robert Marshall, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Ashbury
Village in Oxfordshire, England
Ashbury is a built-up area of 588 people, in the Vale of White Horse 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
- 588 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Vale of White Horse
- County
- Oxfordshire
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004852
Ashbury’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Shrivenham and WatchfieldWanboroughLambournStratton St MargaretChiseldonAldbourneHighworthAshbury
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbury | 588 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Shrivenham and Watchfield | 5,353 | 2.9 | B | B | C+ | A |
| Wanborough | 1,737 | 3.5 | — | D | A+ | A− |
| Lambourn | 3,141 | 5.6 | B− | A− | B | B |
| Stratton St Margaret | 20,689 | 5.7 | C+ | B− | C | C+ |
| Chiseldon | 2,033 | 5.8 | — | C− | B− | B− |
| Aldbourne | 1,686 | 5.9 | — | B− | A | A+ |
| Highworth | 7,932 | 6.2 | B+ | B− | B+ | B |
Wanborough, Chiseldon and Aldbourne have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ashbury
How many listed buildings are there in Ashbury?
That is 17.4 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Mary. 38% of Ashbury’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Is Ashbury expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £357,500, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
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.