Blue Anchor’s story
2 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Blue Anchor’s built-up area.
23% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Blue AnchorSomerset
A village in Somerset, South West, home to 176 people.
6 places within 12 milesMap →
Marshwood Farmhouse · Photo: Simon Cobb · CC0
Population
176
Census 2021 · Somerset West and Taunton council
Median age
69.5
65% are 65+ · Somerset 23%
Degree level
35%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
13%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Blue Anchor a good place to live?
Blue Anchor is below the 1,000 residents fair grades need, but every figure on this page is real. Nearly two thirds of residents are 65 or over. It has 2 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. Mortgage-free owners make up 76% of households.
What makes Blue Anchor stand out
The 3 things Blue Anchor does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
65% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
2 listed buildings
1 Grade II*, including Marshwood Farmhouse; 4.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Own outright
Housing
76% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Gauge Museum Blue Anchor and 15 more in and around Blue Anchor
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Blue Anchor. Best known first.
MuseumMuseumGauge Museum Blue Anchorin town
Historic house · National TrustDunster Castle2.5 km outside town, to the west
Abbey or priory · English HeritageCleeve Abbey3.1 km outside town, to the southeast
Castle · English HeritageDaw's Castle3.3 km outside town, to the east
ZooTropiquaria3.7 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumWatchet Museum4.1 km outside town, to the east
Historic house · National TrustDunster Castle2.5 km outside town, to the westAbbey or priory · English HeritageCleeve Abbey3.1 km outside town, to the southeastCastle · English HeritageDaw's Castle3.3 km outside town, to the eastZooTropiquaria3.7 km outside town, to the southeastMuseumWatchet Museum4.1 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 (5)
- Dunster Castle: Mike Crowe, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cleeve Abbey: MortimerCat, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Daw's Castle: Simon Cobb, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tropiquaria: Rabbi WP Thinrod, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Watchet Museum: Rodw, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Blue Anchor.
Who lives here
Few people in Blue Anchor are 15 to 24: 3.4%, fewer than in Somerset’s towns and across England’s towns
Over-65s are nearly two thirds of the population. 2.3% are under 15, lower than both Somerset’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Half the people of Blue Anchor are older than 69.5.
69.5median age
Blue AnchorSomersetEngland
Ages · share of residents
65%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level35%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 92 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.
| Blue Anchor | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 2.3% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 3.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 9.1% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 20% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 65% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Blue Anchor: just 3% travel under 5 km, below Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £40K a year before tax, lower than both Somerset’s towns (£54K) and England’s towns (£55K). Home was the main workplace for 38% of workers at the census. At the census, 13% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
13%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving78%
Bicycle6%
On foot3%
Bus3%
3%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£40K
mean household income, before tax
5%
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
Blue Anchor is a town of owners: 91% of households own their home, above Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
7% of households are private tenants. Social housing holds 1% of households, below Somerset’s towns (14%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £1,016 a month across the Somerset council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Blue Anchor£0K
Typical UK town£277K
91%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,016
average private rent a month, Somerset council area
£2,448
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
Homes in Blue Anchor see less burglary and damage than in Somerset’s towns or England’s towns: 3.8 per 1,000 a year
Violent crime ran at 17.1 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Somerset’s towns (27.2) and England’s towns (22). Police recorded 3 crimes inside Blue Anchor’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences accounted for a third of recorded crime.
17.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual1
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
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.
17.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.8
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
3
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
Disability is more common in Blue Anchor than in Somerset’s towns or across England’s towns: 21% of residents
78% of Blue Anchor’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, below Somerset’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%) alike. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.9 miles away. The nearest A&E to Blue Anchor is Musgrove Park Hospital, 16.8 miles away.
78%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 17%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Blue Anchor | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
79.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.6
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
Blue Anchor keeps more of its old housing than Somerset’s towns or England’s towns: 23% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Blue Anchor counts 2 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*. It has 114 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, above both Somerset’s towns (91) and England’s towns (39).
2listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II1
Among them · Grade II*
- Marshwood Farmhouse Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
23%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
114
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 Blue Anchor
12pages on Blue Anchor
The big questions
Blue Anchor’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
WatchetMineheadWillitonPorlockWiveliscombeNether StoweyBlue Anchor
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Anchor | 176 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Watchet | 3,643 | 3.3 | D | C+ | C | C |
| Minehead | 11,752 | 3.5 | D− | C+ | D | C |
| Williton | 2,433 | 3.8 | — | C+ | D− | C+ |
| Porlock | 1,178 | 8.5 | — | C− | B | C+ |
| Wiveliscombe | 2,316 | 10 | — | B− | C+ | B |
| Nether Stowey | 1,483 | 11 | — | C | A | B |
Williton, Porlock, Wiveliscombe and Nether Stowey have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Blue Anchor
Who lives in Blue Anchor?
An older village. At the 2021 Census, 65% of residents were 65 or over and 20% were 45 to 64, against 18% and 25% across England’s towns; 2.3% were under 15.
How many listed buildings are there in Blue Anchor?
2 on Historic England’s list, 1 of them Grade II*. That is 4.7 times the typical UK town for its size. 23% of Blue Anchor’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
How much is council tax in Blue Anchor?
Band D council tax in Blue Anchor is £2,448 for 2026–27, more than in 51% 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 Blue Anchor
Village in Somerset, England
Blue Anchor is a built-up area of 176 people, in the Somerset West and Taunton 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
- 176 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Somerset West and Taunton
- County
- Somerset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005749
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.