Fairlands’s story
5 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Fairlands’ built-up area.
7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
FairlandsSurrey
A village of 1,119 in Surrey, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Ron Strutt · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,119
Census 2021 · Guildford council
Median home
£490K
66 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.6
33% are 65+ · Surrey 19%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
17%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Fairlands a good place to live?
Fairlands has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Its strongest subject is jobs & income (A+): mean household income £70,845; 1.4% of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits. Its weakest is cost of living (C−): median sale £490,000, 6.8 years of area income; rent £1,736 a month.
What makes Fairlands stand out
The 3 things Fairlands does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
33% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.8 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Rent against income, UK towns
Renting
£1,736 a month
Average private rent, 29% of what households in the area earn: more than in 94% of UK towns
ONS private rents, Guildford council area.
How Fairlands grades
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Fairlands is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Jobs & incomeA+Open →Hazard risk0% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the seaAOpen →HealthLife expectancy 81.6 for men, 84.9 for womenA−Open →Cost of livingC−Open →SafetyB+Open →WalkabilityBOpen →SchoolsPrimary results beat 47% of towns in England; secondary results beat 40% of towns in EnglandC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
HistoryC−Open →Outdoors100% live within 400 m of a park; 11% of land within 5 km is National Park or National LandscapeA+Open →Civic life1.8 local charities per 1,000 residents; 0% live within 1 km of a libraryC−Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Guildford Cathedral and 15 more in and around Fairlands
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Fairlands. Best known first.
CathedralGuildford Cathedral2.7 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumWatts Gallery4.1 km outside town, to the south
CastleGuildford Castle4.1 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseLoseley Park4.8 km outside town, to the south
Museum · National TrustDapdune Wharf3.1 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumGuildford Museum4.1 km outside town, to the southeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (6)
- Guildford Cathedral: Hassocks5489, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Watts Gallery: ©Watts Gallery, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Guildford Castle: SuzanneKn at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Loseley Park: Andrew Wilkinson from London, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dapdune Wharf: HARTLEPOOLMARINA2014, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Guildford Museum: Nickuae, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fairlands.
Who lives here
An older town: 33% of people in Fairlands are 65 or over, more than in Surrey’s towns and across England’s towns
The share aged 15 to 24 is 7.9%. Children under 15 make up 14%, below Surrey’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The median resident of Fairlands is 53.6 years old. 31% of adults hold a degree.
53.6median age
FairlandsSurreyEngland
Ages · share of residents
33%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar18%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 89 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.
| Fairlands | Surrey | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.2% | 4.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Surrey and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
SchoolsC+
Fairlands’s schools fall behind 58% of towns in England on results
GCSE results at the 2 secondary schools within 3 km: 43% of pupils get a strong pass (grade 5+) in English and maths, and the Attainment 8 average is 44.3. Below is its only school. 61% of pupils at the 5 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
C+School Grade
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worplesdon Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | – | C |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Health
Good or very good health: 82% of Fairlands’s residents
Men in Fairlands can expect to live to 81.6, women to 84.9 (2019–23). One GP practice serves the town; 87% of patients rate theirs good in the GP Patient Survey. At the census, 4.2% of people here described their health as bad or very bad.
82%good or very good healthA−Health Grade
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 14%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Fairlands | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 14% | 17% |
81.6
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.9
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
Fairlands’s listed buildings: 5, all Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
The pre-1919 share of homes is 7%. Relative to its size, Fairlands keeps 45 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, close to both Surrey’s towns (31) and England’s towns (39).
5listed buildingsC−History Grade
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II5
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
7%
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
HousingCost of living grade C−
More households own their home in Fairlands than in Surrey’s towns or across England’s towns: 90%
The social rented sector houses 1% of households. Private renters make up 9% of households, below both Surrey’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (21%). The £490,000 median rests on 66 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
£490Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Fairlands£490K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £570,000 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £477,500 | 52 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,736
average private rent a month, Guildford council area
£2,631
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
Fewer crimes per resident in Fairlands than in 65% of UK towns
Reported offences in Fairlands came to 37 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 6. Of all the crimes, 32% were violence and sexual offences. The violent crime rate is 17.9 per 1,000 residents a year.
17.9violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a yearB+Safety Grade
Compared with UK towns its sizeLess crime per resident than 45% 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 & sexual12
Public order7
Other theft5
Shoplifting4
Vehicle crime3
Damage & arson2
Drugs2
Bicycle theft1
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.
17.9
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
37
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.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade A+
Only 17% of commuters in Fairlands go to work without a car, fewer than in Surrey’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
At the census, 81% of commuters went by car. 47% of commuters travelled under 5 km, above Surrey’s towns (40%) and close to England’s towns (45%). The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 1.4%. About 6% of its commuters stay in Fairlands for work.
17%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving81%
On foot8%
Bus3%
Bicycle3%
Train2%
47%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
40%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£71K
mean household income, before tax
1.4%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
B
Walkability: more walkable than 64% of UK towns
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fairlands
14pages on Fairlands
The big questions
SafetyB+17.9 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingC−Median home £490K · rent £1,736 a monthHousing15 sold in 12 months · busiest street St Michaels AvenueSchoolsC+1 state schoolHealthA−Life expectancy 81.6 (men), 84.9 (women)Work & commuteA+59% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazardsA0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Out and about
Fairlands’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Wood Street VillageNormandyGuildfordJacobs WellBrookwoodPirbrightShalfordFairlands
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairlands | 1,119 | — | — | C− | B+ | A− |
| Wood Street Village | 1,586 | 0.9 | — | C− | C | B+ |
| Normandy | 1,665 | 2.2 | — | C− | A− | A |
| Guildford | 77,870 | 2.2 | B+ | C | D | B+ |
| Jacobs Well | 1,122 | 2.3 | — | C− | A− | A− |
| Brookwood | 1,428 | 3 | — | C+ | B | A |
| Pirbright | 3,920 | 3.4 | A | D | A+ | A |
| Shalford | 2,508 | 4.1 | A+ | C− | A | A− |
Wood Street Village, Normandy, Jacobs Well and Brookwood have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Fairlands
Is Fairlands expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £490,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £477,500 and detached houses £570,000.
How much is council tax in Fairlands?
Band D council tax in Fairlands is £2,631 for 2026–27, more than in 91% 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 Fairlands
Village in Surrey, England
Fairlands is a built-up area of 1,119 people, in the Guildford 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
- 1,119 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Guildford
- County
- Surrey
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005536
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.