Leigh’s story
9 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Leigh’s built-up area.
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
LeighSurrey
A village of 265 in Surrey, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Ian Capper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
265
Census 2021 · Mole Valley council
Median age
47.4
22% are 65+ · Surrey 19%
Degree level
40%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
10%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Leigh a good place to live?
Leigh has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Leigh stand out
The 3 things Leigh does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
10% 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 Bartholomew; 13.9 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
22% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Leigh.
Who lives here
Leigh has fewer young adults than Surrey’s towns or England’s towns: 8.7% are 15 to 24
Two in five adults hold a degree, below Surrey’s towns (42%) but above England’s towns (34%). Retirement age and beyond: just over a fifth of residents are 65 or older. Half of Leigh is older than 47.4, half younger. Under-15s account for 19% of the population.
47.4median age
LeighSurreyEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level40%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Leigh | Surrey | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 4.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 40% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Surrey and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Leigh walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Surrey’s towns or England’s towns: 10%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 47% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income averages £62K a year before tax. The car took 86% of commuters, higher than both Surrey’s towns (74%) and England’s towns (70%). 22% of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters.
10%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving86%
On foot7%
Train1%
Bicycle1%
22%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
47%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£62K
mean household income, before tax
1.2%
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
More households in Leigh live in social housing than in Surrey’s towns or England’s towns: 30%
Owners make up just over three in five households, lower than Surrey’s towns (70%) and near England’s towns (61%). Private renters make up one in ten households. That is the middle of 8 standard sales inside Leigh’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Leigh£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | £580,000 | 5 |
61%
of households own their home · England 61%
10%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,551
average private rent a month, Mole Valley council area
£2,538
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 are rarer in Leigh than in Surrey’s towns or across England’s towns: 5 per 1,000 residents a year
Each year, 13.8 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. Police figures for Leigh’s built-up area: 5 crimes and 3 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 12.6 reports per 1,000, above Surrey’s towns (7.4) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. Violence and sexual offences were 20% of the crimes.
13.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual1
Public order1
Other theft1
Drugs1
Weapons1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Burglary0
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.
13.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12.6
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
5
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
86% of residents say their health is good or very good
At the census, 14% of people here had a disability, about level with Surrey’s towns (14%) and below England’s towns (17%). There is no GP practice in Leigh: the nearest is 1.7 miles off. Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.2% of the town.
86%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 86%Fair 10%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Leigh | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 14% | 17% |
82.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.2
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape Leigh: 37% were built before 1919, more than in Surrey’s towns and across England’s towns
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Leigh counts 9 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade II*. Relative to its size, Leigh keeps 340 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both Surrey’s towns (31) and England’s towns (39).
9listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II8
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Bartholomew Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
37%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
340
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 →Betchworth Castle and 8 more in and around Leigh
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Leigh. Best known first.
CastleBetchworth Castle3.9 km outside town, to the northwest
Abbey or prioryReigate Priory Museum4.1 km outside town, to the northeast
CastleReigate Castle4.3 km outside town, to the northeastPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustHolmwood Common4.2 km outside town, to the westPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustBrockham Big Field3.4 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionBarons Cave4.2 km outside town, to the northeastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (3)
- Betchworth Castle: Peter van der Linden, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Reigate Priory Museum: Ian Capper, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Reigate Castle: Rjwilmsi, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Leigh
12pages on Leigh
The big questions
Leigh’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BrockhamReigateBox HillBeare GreenDorkingSalfordsRedhillLeigh
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leigh | 265 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brockham | 2,206 | 2.1 | — | C− | A− | B+ |
| Reigate | 23,774 | 2.8 | A | C− | B | A− |
| Box Hill | 1,271 | 3.5 | — | B | A− | B |
| Beare Green | 1,940 | 3.6 | — | C+ | B+ | A− |
| Dorking | 17,463 | 3.7 | A− | C+ | C | B+ |
| Salfords | 1,873 | 3.7 | — | C− | D− | B− |
| Redhill | 32,516 | 3.9 | B+ | C+ | C− | B |
Brockham, Box Hill, Beare Green and Salfords have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Leigh
How many listed buildings are there in Leigh?
That is 13.9 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Leigh?
Band D council tax in Leigh is £2,538 for 2026–27, more than in 73% 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 Leigh
Village in Surrey, England
Leigh is a built-up area of 265 people, in the Mole Valley 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
- 265 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Mole Valley
- County
- Surrey
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005662
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.