Sparkford’s story
12 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Sparkford’s built-up area.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
SparkfordSomerset
Population 557: a village in Somerset, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Simon Burchell · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
557
Census 2021 · South Somerset council
Median home
£395K
32 sales in 3 years
Median age
40.9
22% are 65+ · Somerset 23%
Degree level
35%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
5%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Sparkford a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Sparkford has no grades; its figures are still real. 5% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 12, with 0 at Grade I. The median sale price is £395,000.
What makes Sparkford stand out
The 3 things Sparkford does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
5% 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 Mary Magdalene; 8.8 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.4 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sparkford.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Sparkford: just 15% travel under 5 km, below Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 25% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 93% of commuters went by car. Household income came to £61K a year before tax, higher than both Somerset’s towns (£54K) and England’s towns (£55K). About 4% of its commuters stay in Sparkford for work. The town counts 0.4 jobs per working resident.
5%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving93%
On foot3%
Bicycle1%
Train1%
15%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
25%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£61K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
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
Few households rent privately in Sparkford: 11%, fewer than in Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
Owners make up 71% of households, above both Somerset’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,016 a month across the Somerset council area. Also worth knowing: 14% of households live in social housing.
£395Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Sparkford£395K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £532,500 | 18 |
| Semi-detached | £267,500 | 6 |
| Terraced | £277,500 | 7 |
71%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,016
average private rent a month, Somerset council area
£2,441
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
Burglary and damage hit Sparkford harder than Somerset’s towns or England’s towns: 12 per 1,000 residents a year
46% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences. Reported offences in Sparkford came to 39 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 3. Violence came to 28.1 per 1,000 residents a year, about level with Somerset’s towns (27.2) and above England’s towns (22).
28.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual18
Damage & arson8
Other theft7
Public order2
Burglary2
Drugs1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Anti-social3
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.
28.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
39
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
Is Sparkford a healthy place? 90% of its people say their health is good, above Somerset’s towns and England’s towns
13% of residents have a disability, below Somerset’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 2.5% of the town. There is no GP practice in Sparkford: the nearest is 1.3 miles off.
90%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 90%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 3%
| Census 2021 | Sparkford | Somerset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 18% | 17% |
81.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.2
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
More buildings in Sparkford are listed than in Somerset’s towns or England’s towns: 215 per 10,000 residents
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Grade II* covers 1 of them. One registered park or garden lies in Sparkford. Homes built before 1919 account for nearly a fifth of the housing.
12listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II11
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Mary Magdalene Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
1
registered park and garden
19%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
215
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
A town of families: 22% of people in Sparkford are under 15, more than in Somerset’s towns or England’s towns
The middle age in Sparkford is 40.9. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for a tenth of the town. Retirement age and beyond: 22% of residents are 65 or older.
40.9median age
SparkfordSomersetEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship10%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level35%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Sparkford | Somerset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 16% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 23% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 10% | 6.1% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Somerset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Cadbury Castle and 3 more in and around Sparkford
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Sparkford. Best known first.
FortCadbury Castle1.9 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumHaynes International Motor Museum400 m outside town, to the north
MuseumFleet Air Arm Museum5 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumCobham Hall4.8 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 (3)
- Cadbury Castle: Joe D, modified by JimChampion, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Haynes International Motor Museum: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fleet Air Arm Museum: Rodw, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sparkford
13pages on Sparkford
The big questions
Safety28.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £395K · rent £1,016 a monthHousing9 sold in 12 months · busiest street Cherry Blossom WaySchoolsHealthLife expectancy 81.5 (men), 84.2 (women)Work & commute36% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.4% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Sparkford’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Castle CaryKeinton MandevilleIlchesterSherborneMilborne PortWincantonTemplecombeSparkford
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sparkford | 557 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Castle Cary | 3,451 | 4.5 | B− | C+ | C− | B+ |
| Keinton Mandeville | 1,216 | 4.6 | — | D | A+ | B+ |
| Ilchester | 2,062 | 5.4 | — | A | C | B |
| Sherborne | 10,359 | 6.1 | C+ | D | B | B− |
| Milborne Port | 3,207 | 6.1 | B− | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Wincanton | 6,744 | 6.7 | C− | C+ | C− | B− |
| Templecombe | 1,657 | 6.8 | — | C+ | C+ | B+ |
Keinton Mandeville, Ilchester and Templecombe have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Sparkford
How many listed buildings are there in Sparkford?
That is 8.8 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Sparkford expensive to live in?
By type: terraced houses £277,500, semi-detached houses £267,500 and detached houses £532,500.
About Sparkford
Village in Somerset, England
Sparkford is a built-up area of 557 people, in the South Somerset 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
- 557 (Census 2021)
- Council
- South Somerset
- County
- Somerset
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006119
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.