Coleford’s story
10 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Coleford’s built-up area.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ColefordSomerset
With 2,235 residents, it is a village in Somerset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Neil Owen · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,235
Census 2021 · Mendip council
Median home
£273K
79 sales in 3 years
Median age
46.4
22% are 65+ · Somerset 23%
Degree level
24%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Coleford a good place to live?
Coleford’s best grade is for safety — 17.5 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 6.9 home and vehicle crimes. Pupils here do less well than most (D): primary results beat 15% of towns in England. It lags on walkability as well: on the way to work, 8% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Buying the median home, at £272,500, takes 5.1 years of household income in the Mendip council area. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for health and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · incomes and life expectancy, ONS · flood risk, Environment Agency. Coleford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
ONS publishes one rent for all of Somerset, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
What makes Coleford stand out
The 2 things Coleford does most differently from other towns.
How Coleford grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Coleford is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Coleford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
SchoolsPrimary results beat 15% of towns in EnglandDOpen →WalkabilityAmong the hardest places to get around without a carDOpen →SafetyAhead of most towns comparedB+Open →Jobs & income2.4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsCOpen →Cost of livingRent £1,016 a monthBOpen →Hazard risk0.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaB−Open →HealthLife expectancy 80.8 for men, 85 for womenB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryGraded on historic places and the town’s ageB−Open →Outdoors51% live within 400 m of a park; 1.2 ha of public green space per 1,000 residentsC−Open →Civic life2.2 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryCOpen →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Coleford.
SchoolsD
On exam results, Coleford’s schools trail 90% of towns in England
Its one school is below. 53% of pupils at the 4 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). 133 pupils attend Coleford’s one primary school.
DSchool Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 133 | C |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Long commutes are the norm in Coleford: just 27% travel under 5 km, below Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 22% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Income per household averages £59K a year, before tax. 89% of commuters drove, above both Somerset’s towns (76%) and England’s towns (70%). Coleford counts 0.2 jobs per working resident.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
On foot5%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
27%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
22%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£59K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
D
Walkability: more walkable than 12% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Coleford than in Somerset’s towns or across England’s towns: 24% of adults
At 46.4, the median resident of Coleford sits in the middle of the age range. Aged 15 to 24: nearly one in ten residents. Children under 15 make up 18%, about level with England’s towns (18%) and above Somerset’s towns (16%). Those 65 and older account for 22% of residents.
46.4median age
ColefordSomersetEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications23%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level24%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Coleford | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 23% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 24% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Safety
Crime per resident in Coleford is lower than in 71% of UK towns
Police figures for Coleford’s built-up area: 91 crimes and 6 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences made up 48% of the total. There were 5.8 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Somerset’s towns (7.3) and England’s towns (7.8).
17.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 52% 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 & sexual44
Shoplifting14
Damage & arson13
Public order5
Other theft5
Burglary3
Other crime3
Vehicle crime2
Anti-social6
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.
17.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.8
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
91
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.
HousingCost of living grade B
Private renting is less common in Coleford than in Somerset’s towns or across England’s towns: 11%
69% of households own their home, close to Somerset’s towns (67%) and above England’s towns (61%). Social renters account for 19% of households. From September 2023 to August 2026, 79 homes sold inside Coleford’s built-up area at standard prices; the middle one went for £272,500.
£273Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Coleford£273K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | 23 |
| Semi-detached | £273,000 | 29 |
| Terraced | £240,000 | 27 |
69%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,016
average private rent a month, Somerset council area
£2,487
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
80% of people in Coleford rate their health good or very good
The nearest A&E to Coleford is Royal United Hospital Bath, 10.6 miles away. One GP practice serves the town; 92% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. Men in Coleford can expect to live to 80.8, women to 85 (2019–23).
80%good or very good healthB−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Coleford | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 18% | 18% | 17% |
80.8
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 · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Coleford has 10 listed buildings
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 just over a fifth of the total, above Somerset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Scaled to its population, that is 45 listed buildings for every 10,000 people in Coleford.
10listed buildingsB−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II10
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
22%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
45
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Downside Abbey and 2 more in and around Coleford
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Coleford. Best known first.
Abbey or prioryDownside Abbey2.6 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumRadstock Museum5 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumCollonade4.8 km outside town, to the southPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Downside Abbey: Downside_abbey2.jpg: D.O.G.A. derivative work: Rabanus Flavus, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Radstock Museum: Wayland Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Coleford
15pages on Coleford
The big questions
SafetyB+17.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingBMedian home £273K · rent £1,016 a monthHousing27 sold in 12 months · busiest street Highbury StreetSchoolsD1 state schoolHealthB−Life expectancy 80.8 (men), 85 (women)Work & commuteC43% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsB−0.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Coleford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
ChilcomptonMidsomer NortonRadstockPeasedown St JohnPaultonFromeShepton MalletColeford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coleford | 2,235 | — | — | B | B+ | B− |
| Chilcompton | 1,857 | 2.9 | — | D | A− | B |
| Midsomer Norton | 13,749 | 3.3 | B | C | C | B |
| Radstock | 9,983 | 3.4 | C− | B− | C− | C |
| Peasedown St John | 6,668 | 5.1 | B | C | B | B |
| Paulton | 6,502 | 5.1 | B | C+ | B | B− |
| Frome | 27,904 | 5.5 | D | C− | C− | B− |
| Shepton Mallet | 9,645 | 5.6 | C− | B | C− | C+ |
Chilcompton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Coleford
Are schools in Coleford good?
Primary results trail 85% of towns in England (Department for Education, Key Stage 2). One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Somerset council.
Is Coleford safe?
Against all UK towns, it grades B+.
About Coleford
Village in Somerset, England
Coleford is a built-up area of 2,235 people, in the Mendip 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
- 2,235 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mendip
- County
- Somerset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005605
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.