Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 13,247 in Surrey, South East.
Farncombe grades A overall against UK towns: better than 90% of UK towns, and #22 of 65 in Surrey. Its strongest subject is walkability (A): 25% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. Its weakest is hazard risk (C−): 2.2% of homes at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. The median home sold for £485,000 in the last three years, 6.7 times what households in the Waverley council area earn in a year.
The 3 things Farncombe does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Farncombe is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 62 buildings inside Farncombe’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
21% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Farncombe. Best known first.
CathedralGuildford Cathedral4 km outside town, to the north
MuseumWatts Gallery1.6 km outside town, to the northwest
CastleGuildford Castle3.8 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic houseLoseley Park900 m outside town, to the north
Garden · National TrustNational Trust - Winkworth Arboretum3.4 km outside town, to the southeast
Museum · National TrustDapdune Wharf4.5 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Farncombe.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 46% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
50% of commuters travelled under 5 km, above both Surrey’s towns (40%) and England’s towns (45%). 46% of workers worked mainly from home at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loseley Fields Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 402 | C+ |
| Broadwater SchoolLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 750 | A− |
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Farncombe has 62 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 2 Grade II*. 21% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Homes saw 6.8 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Surrey’s towns (10.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 437 crimes inside Farncombe’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 83 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences were 52% of the crimes; the police category includes harassment and stalking.
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.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
86% of Farncombe’s residents described their health as good or very good in 2021, against 87% across Surrey’s towns. 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.
| Census 2021 | Farncombe | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.6% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 14% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £745,000 | 138 |
| Semi-detached | £540,000 | 167 |
| Terraced | £435,000 | 107 |
| Flat or maisonette | £260,000 | 137 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
11% of residents are 15 to 24 and 19% are 65 or over, against 11% and 19% across Surrey’s towns. 44% of residents 16 and over have a degree-level qualification (Surrey 42%, England 34%).
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Farncombe | Surrey | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4.4% | 4.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Surrey and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
62 listed buildings in Farncombe, 1 of them Grade I.
Chapel at Charterhouse School: Photo: Ainslie · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Farncombe Railway Station with Attached Footbridge Former Railway Station Building: Photo: Bashereyre · Public domain · Brook Hall with Archway and School Sergeant's Lodge: Photo: Mertbiol · CC0 · Binscombe Farmhouse: Photo: Switchwitch2007 · CC BY-SA 4.0
3 notable people were born in Farncombe.
Jack Phillips: Jennie Stedman, Public domain
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farncombe | 13,247 | — | A | C+ | B+ | B |
| Godalming | 10,450 | 1.1 | A | C+ | B | A |
| Shalford | 2,508 | 2.3 | A+ | C− | A | A− |
| Bramley and Wonersh | 4,193 | 2.6 | A+ | C | A | A |
| Milford and Witley | 6,489 | 3.1 | A+ | C+ | A− | A− |
| Chilworth | 1,917 | 3.4 | — | C− | B+ | A |
| Wood Street Village | 1,586 | 3.6 | — | C− | C | B+ |
| Guildford | 77,870 | 3.7 | B+ | C | D | B+ |
Chilworth and Wood Street Village have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 93% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, beating 67%.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £485,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £260,000, terraced houses £435,000, semi-detached houses £540,000 and detached houses £745,000.
Band D council tax in Farncombe is £2,638 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.
Town in Surrey, England
Farncombe is a built-up area of 13,247 people, in the Waverley 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
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.