Lower Heyford’s story
29 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Lower Heyford’s built-up area.
21% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Lower HeyfordOxfordshire
A village in Oxfordshire, South East, home to 220 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Motacilla · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
220
Census 2021 · Cherwell council
Median age
49.7
20% are 65+ · Oxfordshire 18%
Degree level
41%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Lower Heyford a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Lower Heyford has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 8% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 29 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I.
What makes Lower Heyford stand out
The 2 things Lower Heyford does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Lower Heyford.
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Lower Heyford work nearby than in Oxfordshire’s towns or England’s towns: 11% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 85% of commuters, higher than both Oxfordshire’s towns (69%) and England’s towns (70%). The average household earns £73K a year before tax. In 2026, 1.6% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving85%
On foot6%
Bus3%
11%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
37%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£73K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
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 Lower Heyford than in Oxfordshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 9%
20% live in social housing, above Oxfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Households that own their home make up 71%. Private rents average £1,304 a month across the Cherwell council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Lower Heyford£0K
Typical UK town£277K
71%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,304
average private rent a month, Cherwell council area
£2,533
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
Lower Heyford records less burglary and damage per resident than Oxfordshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 6.1 per 1,000 a year
In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 11 crimes inside Lower Heyford’s built-up area. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 1.5 reports per 1,000, lower than both Oxfordshire’s towns (4.8) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 64% of the crimes.
22.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Burglary1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Drugs0
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.
22.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
11
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
Just 2.2% of people in Lower Heyford say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in both Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
There is no GP practice in Lower Heyford: the nearest is 4.6 miles off. The nearest A&E to Lower Heyford is Horton General Hospital, 9.5 miles away. Also worth knowing: at the census, 17% of people here had a disability, about level with England’s towns (17%) and above Oxfordshire’s towns (15%).
83%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 83%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Lower Heyford | Oxfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 86% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.2% | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 15% | 17% |
81.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Because the census answers ignore age, a younger population lifts them; that is why the Health Grade is built on age-adjusted measures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Lower Heyford is rich in listed buildings: 1,318 per 10,000 residents, more than in both Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 21% of the total, higher than both Oxfordshire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (16%). Grade II* covers 1 of them.
29listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II28
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Mary Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
21%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
1,318
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
Children make up only 11% of Lower Heyford, fewer than in both Oxfordshire’s towns and England’s towns
Young adults of 15 to 24 are just over a tenth of the population. People 65 and over make up a fifth of the town, above Oxfordshire’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The age that splits Lower Heyford in two is 49.7. Degrees are held by 41% of adults.
49.7median age
Lower HeyfordOxfordshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
20%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications13%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar9%
Degree level41%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Lower Heyford | Oxfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 27% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 38% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 4.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 9.1% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 41% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Oxfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Rousham House and Gardens and 2 more in and around Lower Heyford
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Lower Heyford. Best known first.
Historic houseRousham House and Gardens600 m outside town, to the southwest
CastleMiddleton Stoney Castle4.1 km outside town, to the eastCastleCastleNorth Aston Hall4 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Rousham House and Gardens: Grahamec, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Middleton Stoney Castle: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lower Heyford
12pages on Lower Heyford
The big questions
Lower Heyford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Upper HeyfordTackleyMiddle BartonDeddingtonChestertonWoodstockBicesterLower Heyford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Heyford | 220 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Upper Heyford | 2,481 | 1.6 | — | C | C | A− |
| Tackley | 1,073 | 2.5 | — | C+ | A− | A |
| Middle Barton | 1,762 | 3.4 | — | C+ | A+ | A |
| Deddington | 1,769 | 4.5 | — | C− | A | A− |
| Chesterton | 1,179 | 4.8 | — | C− | A | A− |
| Woodstock | 3,522 | 5.5 | A+ | C | B+ | A+ |
| Bicester | 37,748 | 5.8 | B | C+ | C+ | B− |
Upper Heyford, Tackley, Middle Barton, Deddington and Chesterton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Lower Heyford
How many listed buildings are there in Lower Heyford?
That is 54.1 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Lower Heyford?
Band D council tax in Lower Heyford is £2,533 for 2026–27, more than in 72% 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 Lower Heyford
Village in Oxfordshire, England
Lower Heyford is a built-up area of 220 people, in the Cherwell 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
- 220 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Cherwell
- County
- Oxfordshire
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004117
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.