Forest Hill’s story
22 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Forest Hill’s built-up area.
20% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Forest HillOxfordshire
Home to 557 people, this village lies in Oxfordshire, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Motacilla · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
557
Census 2021 · South Oxfordshire council
Median home
£419K
18 sales in 3 years
Median age
42.8
20% are 65+ · Oxfordshire 18%
Degree level
49%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
24%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Forest Hill a good place to live?
Forest Hill has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. 22 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I. Homes change hands at a median £419,138. Nearly half of adults have a degree-level qualification.
What makes Forest Hill stand out
The 3 things Forest Hill does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 Grade II*, including Church of St Nicholas; 16.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.5 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Oxfordshire 42%.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Forest Hill.
Who lives here
Forest Hill is a graduates’ town: 49% hold a degree, more than in both Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
42.8median age
20% of residents are 65 or over. People aged 15 to 24 make up 11% of the town, below both Oxfordshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (12%). The median resident of Forest Hill is 42.8 years old.
Forest HillOxfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level49%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Forest Hill | Oxfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.7% | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 49% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Oxfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Benefit claims run low in Forest Hill, 1.4% of 16 to 64s, below Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
24%walk, cycle or ride
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.
There are 0.5 jobs in Forest Hill for each resident in work. 73% of commuters drove, above both Oxfordshire’s towns (69%) and England’s towns (70%). The average household earns £63K a year before tax.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving73%
Bicycle17%
Bus5%
On foot2%
40%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
40%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£63K
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
Few households rent privately in Forest Hill: 17%, fewer than in both Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
£419Kmedian sale
Nearly two thirds of households own their home, higher than both Oxfordshire’s towns (63%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,402 a month across the South Oxfordshire council area. Also worth knowing: the social rented sector houses 16% of households.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Forest Hill£419K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £665,000 | 6 |
| Semi-detached | £410,276 | 9 |
66%
of households own their home · England 61%
17%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,402
average private rent a month, South Oxfordshire council area
£2,520
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
Forest Hill records less burglary and damage per resident than Oxfordshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 4.8 per 1,000 a year
15violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 0.6 reports per 1,000, below both Oxfordshire’s towns (4.8) and England’s towns (7.8). Police figures for Forest Hill’s built-up area: 13 crimes and 1 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. 77% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual10
Other theft2
Damage & arson1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Burglary0
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.
15
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
13
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
Is Forest Hill a healthy place? 88% of its people say their health is good, above Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
88%good or very good health
A disability affects just over a tenth of people in Forest Hill. 3.4% of residents described their health as bad or very bad, near Oxfordshire’s towns (3.5%) and lower than England’s towns (5.2%). Seeing a GP means leaving Forest Hill: the nearest practice is 1.8 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 9%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Forest Hill | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 12% | 15% | 17% |
84.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
87.4
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
More buildings in Forest Hill are listed than in Oxfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 395 per 10,000 residents
22listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Conservation areas cover 30% of Forest Hill’s land, higher than both Oxfordshire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (7%). Homes built before 1919 account for 20% of the housing. Grade II* covers 2 of them.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*2
Grade II20
Among them · Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
20%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
395
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 Forest Hill
13pages on Forest Hill
The big questions
Safety15 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £419K · rent £1,402 a monthHousing4 sold in 12 months · busiest street Mickle WaySchoolsHealthLife expectancy 84.4 (men), 87.4 (women)Work & commute51% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Shotover House and 4 more in and around Forest Hill
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Forest Hill. Best known first.
Historic houseShotover House600 m outside town, to the south
GardenWaterperry Gardens4.3 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumThe Kilns - CS Lewis's Home2 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumScience Oxford Centre2.6 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumMuseum of Rural Life4.3 km outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Shotover House: Dave Price, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Waterperry Gardens: Ian Petticrew, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Forest Hill
Village in Oxfordshire, England
Forest Hill is a built-up area of 557 people, in the South Oxfordshire 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
- 557 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Oxfordshire
- County
- Oxfordshire
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004437
Forest Hill’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WheatleyHorspathGarsingtonOxfordOakleyKenningtonUpper ArncottForest Hill
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Hill | 557 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wheatley | 4,305 | 1.4 | A | B− | B | A− |
| Horspath | 1,467 | 2 | — | C+ | A− | A |
| Garsington | 1,295 | 3.2 | — | B− | A− | A− |
| Oxford | 170,799 | 3.6 | C+ | D | C− | C+ |
| Oakley | 1,129 | 4.2 | — | C+ | A+ | A |
| Kennington | 4,595 | 5.3 | A | C+ | A | A |
| Upper Arncott | 1,659 | 6 | — | B | A | B |
Horspath, Garsington, Oakley and Upper Arncott have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Forest Hill
How many listed buildings are there in Forest Hill?
That is 16.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Forest Hill expensive to live in?
By type: semi-detached houses £410,276 and detached houses £665,000.
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.