Porlock’s story
13 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Porlock’s built-up area.
43% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
PorlockSomerset
A village of 1,178 in Somerset, South West.
2 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Timkevan · Public domain
Population
1,178
Census 2021 · Somerset West and Taunton council
Median home
£300K
69 sales in 3 years
Median age
64
48% are 65+ · Somerset 23%
Degree level
32%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
20%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Porlock a good place to live?
Porlock has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is walkability (A−): 20% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is hazard risk (D−): 16% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £300,000 in the last three years, 5.9 times what households in the Somerset West and Taunton council area earn in a year.
No state school with published KS2 or GCSE results is in or within 3 km of this town, so it has no School Grade. ONS publishes one rent for all of Somerset, so this town's Cost Grade uses house prices and council tax only.
What makes Porlock stand out
The 3 things Porlock does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
48% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including Church of St Dubricius; 4.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Flood risk, against UK towns
Flood risk
High or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea: more than in 97% of UK towns
Environment Agency flood maps, defences counted.
How Porlock grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Porlock is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Hazard riskD−Open →Jobs & incomeMean household income £39,143; 2.6% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefitsDOpen →Cost of livingrent £1,016 a monthC−Open →WalkabilityA−Open →HealthLife expectancy 77.6 for men, 83 for womenC+Open →SafetyBOpen →
SchoolsNot graded yet–
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryA−Open →Outdoors75% live within 400 m of a park; 71% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA+Open →Civic life5.9 local charities per 1,000 residents; 100% live within 1 km of a libraryA+Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Porlock.
Who lives here
Older residents shape Porlock: 48% are 65 or over, above Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
That puts Porlock above both Somerset’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (18%). Children are 8% of the town. Porlock has a median age of 64.
64median age
PorlockSomersetEngland
Ages · share of residents
48%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level32%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 86 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.
| Porlock | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 11% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 48% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.6% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Porlock
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Dubricius Church of England VA SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 90 | – |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
History
Old homes shape Porlock: 43% were built before 1919, more than in Somerset’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.
Of Porlock’s land, 19% lies in conservation areas, above both Somerset’s towns (8%) and England’s towns (7%). Porlock’s listed buildings include Church of St Dubricius, Grade I. Porlock has 13 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*.
13listed buildingsA−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*1
Grade II11
Among them · Grade I
- Church of St Dubricius Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
43%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
110
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
HousingCost of living grade C−
Few households rent privately in Porlock: 13%, fewer than in Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
On this, Porlock is below both Somerset’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (21%). 20% of households live in social housing.
£300Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Porlock£300K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £400,000 | 21 |
| Semi-detached | £305,000 | 16 |
| Terraced | £285,000 | 27 |
| Flat or maisonette | £255,000 | 5 |
67%
of households own their home · England 61%
13%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,016
average private rent a month, Somerset council area
£2,537
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Commuters in Porlock travel far: only 19% go under 5 km, fewer than in Somerset’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
In the comparison, Porlock comes below both Somerset’s towns (46%) and England’s towns (45%). 77% of commuters drove to work at the census.
20%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving77%
On foot16%
Bicycle3%
Bus1%
19%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
27%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£39K
mean household income, before tax
2.6%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
A−
Walkability: more walkable than 77% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Health
Only 75% of people in Porlock say their health is good or very good, fewer than in Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
For Porlock, that is below both Somerset’s towns (82%) and England’s towns (82%). The nearest A&E to Porlock is North Devon District Hospital, 21.3 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.
75%good or very good healthC+Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 75%Fair 18%Bad or very bad 7%
| Census 2021 | Porlock | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 75% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.6% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 18% | 17% |
77.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
Safety
Porlock records less burglary and damage per resident than Somerset’s towns or England’s towns, at 6.2 per 1,000 a year
Porlock sits below both Somerset’s towns (8.6) and England’s towns (9.4) on this measure. Police recorded 48 crimes inside Porlock’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 5 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 46% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
24.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearBSafety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 34% 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 & sexual22
Other theft10
Burglary8
Public order3
Vehicle crime2
Shoplifting1
Damage & arson1
Other crime1
Anti-social5
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.
24.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.1
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
48
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 →Dovery Manor Museum and 5 more in and around Porlock
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Porlock. Best known first.
MuseumDovery Manor Museumin town
Historic houseHolnicote Estate1.6 km outside town, to the east
MuseumWest Somerset Rural Life Museum and Victorian School1000 m outside town, to the eastArt galleryArt galleryMelody Art Galleryin townMuseumMuseumThe Oilyin townAttractionAttractionPack Horse Bridge1 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 (3)
- Dovery Manor Museum: Robert Edwards, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Holnicote Estate: pam fray, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- West Somerset Rural Life Museum and Victorian School: Rodw, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Porlock
15pages on Porlock
The big questions
SafetyB24.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC−Median home £300K · rent £1,016 a monthHousing19 sold in 12 months · busiest street HawkcombeSchools1 state schoolHealthC+Life expectancy 77.6 (men), 83 (women)Work & commuteD58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsD−16.2% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Porlock’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Questions about Porlock
Does Porlock flood?
Surface water isn’t included. Check a specific address on GOV.UK’s flood risk service.
How many listed buildings are there in Porlock?
That is 4.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Dubricius.
About Porlock
Village in Somerset, England
Porlock is a built-up area of 1,178 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
- 1,178 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Somerset West and Taunton
- County
- Somerset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005669
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.