Prees’s story
28 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Prees’ built-up area.
30% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PreesShropshire
A village of 1,013 in Shropshire, West Midlands.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Church of St Chad · Photo: Peter Wood · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,013
Census 2021 · Shropshire council
Median home
£276K
50 sales in 3 years
Median age
50.8
27% are 65+ · Shropshire 21%
Degree level
27%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Prees a good place to live?
Prees has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is hazard risk (A): 0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Its weakest is jobs & income (D): mean household income £53,550; 3.2% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. The median home sold for £276,000 in the last three years, 5.5 times what households in the Shropshire council area earn in a year.
What makes Prees stand out
The 3 things Prees does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Church of St Chad; 11.3 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
27% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
How Prees grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Prees is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard riskAOpen →Jobs & incomeDOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 80% of towns in EnglandAOpen →WalkabilityCOpen →Cost of livingrent £823 a monthB+Open →HealthLife expectancy 81.4 for men, 86.1 for womenB+Open →SafetyBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryAOpen →Outdoors0% live within 400 m of a park; 0.1 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsD−Open →Civic life9.9 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryA−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Prees.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Prees than in Shropshire’s towns or England’s towns: 14% are under 15
Prees sits below both Shropshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (18%) on this measure. 27% of residents are 65 or over. Prees has a median age of 50.8.
50.8median age
PreesShropshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
27%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level27%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Prees | Shropshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.3% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 21% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7% | 5.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 27% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Shropshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsA
Results at Prees’s schools beat 85% of towns in England
Its one school is below.
ASchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prees CofE Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 194 | B |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Prees is rich in listed buildings: 276 per 10,000 residents, more than Shropshire’s towns or England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
That puts Prees above both Shropshire’s towns (71) and England’s towns (39). Prees has 28 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 0 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. 30% of homes were built before 1919.
28listed buildingsAHistory Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II27
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Chad Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
30%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
276
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Fewer commuters in Prees work nearby than in Shropshire’s towns or England’s towns: 25% travel under 5 km
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 23% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On this, Prees is below both Shropshire’s towns (45%) and England’s towns (45%). 10% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot7%
Bicycle2%
Bus1%
25%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
23%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£54K
mean household income, before tax
3.2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
C
Walkability: more walkable than 26% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
HousingCost of living grade B+
Private renting is less common in Prees than in Shropshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 10%
In the comparison, Prees comes below both Shropshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). Owners make up 76% of households.
£276Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Prees£276K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £377,500 | 28 |
| Semi-detached | £205,000 | 14 |
| Terraced | £247,500 | 8 |
76%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£823
average private rent a month, Shropshire council area
£2,430
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Health
Life expectancy in Prees is longer than in 76% of UK towns
Women here live to 86.1 on average and men to 81.4 (2019–23). Prees has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.5 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
81%good or very good healthB+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Prees | Shropshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.3% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
81.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Safety
Prees records less burglary and damage per resident than Shropshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 4.6 per 1,000 a year
For Prees, that is below both Shropshire’s towns (8.7) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 33 crimes inside Prees’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 9 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 61% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
23violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 40% of the 1,541 UK towns of 1,000 to 2,500 people: about the middle for its size. Context only, not part of the grade.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual20
Burglary3
Public order2
Vehicle crime2
Other crime2
Shoplifting1
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Anti-social9
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.
23
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
4.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
33
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Red Castle and 2 more in and around Prees
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Prees. Best known first.
CastleRed Castle3.9 km outside town, to the southeastCastleCastleMotte Castle Mound4 km outside town, to the northeastZooZooShropshire Falconry4.8 km outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Red Castle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Prees
14pages on Prees
The big questions
SafetyB23 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingB+Median home £276K · rent £823 a monthHousing16 sold in 12 months · busiest street Moreton StreetSchoolsA1 state schoolHealthB+Life expectancy 81.4 (men), 86.1 (women)Work & commuteD46% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Prees’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Prees Higher HeathWemWhitchurchMarket DraytonShawburyAudlemMalpasPrees
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prees | 1,013 | — | — | B+ | B | B+ |
| Prees Higher Heath | 1,226 | 1.4 | — | B | A | B |
| Wem | 6,287 | 3.7 | C+ | B+ | C+ | C− |
| Whitchurch | 9,856 | 5 | C | B+ | C+ | C |
| Market Drayton | 12,062 | 7.2 | C+ | A− | C | C+ |
| Shawbury | 1,962 | 7.5 | — | A− | B | B− |
| Audlem | 1,833 | 9.2 | — | C | B+ | A− |
| Malpas | 1,361 | 9.5 | — | C+ | C− | A− |
Prees Higher Heath, Shawbury, Audlem and Malpas have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Prees
How many listed buildings are there in Prees?
That is 11.3 times the typical UK town for its size.
Are schools in Prees good?
Primary results beat 80% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Shropshire council.
About Prees
Village in Shropshire, England
Prees is a built-up area of 1,013 people, in the Shropshire 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
- 1,013 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Shropshire
- County
- Shropshire
- Region
- West Midlands
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63002102
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.