The Sands’s story
Old homes in The Sands: 36% built before 1919
36% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
The SandsSurrey
A village in Surrey, South East, home to 393 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
393
Census 2021 · Guildford council
Median age
52.8
28% are 65+ · Surrey 19%
Degree level
52%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
11%
of commuters · England 27%
Is The Sands a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so The Sands has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 11% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Pre-1919 homes make up 36% of the housing. Over-65s are 28% of the population.
What makes The Sands stand out
The 3 things The Sands does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
11% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
28% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Waverley Abbey and 9 more in and around The Sands
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near The Sands. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageWaverley Abbey1.2 km outside town, to the southwest
Castle · English HeritageFarnham Castle3.8 km outside town, to the west
CathedralCathedral of St Michael and St George, Aldershot4.7 km outside town, to the north
MuseumRural Life Centre3.2 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumMuseum of Farnham4 km outside town, to the west
MuseumCrafts Study Centre4 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 (6)
- Waverley Abbey: Admiralgary, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Farnham Castle: Lewis Hulbert, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathedral of St Michael and St George, Aldershot: AldershotCathedral.jpg: JohnArmagh derivative work: Rabanus Flavus, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rural Life Centre: Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Museum of Farnham: BabelStone, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Crafts Study Centre: BabelStone, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in The Sands.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in The Sands than in Surrey’s towns or England’s towns: 12% are under 15
28% of residents are 65 or over, higher than both Surrey’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 13%. The middle age in The Sands is 52.8. Graduates make up 52% of adults.
52.8median age
The SandsSurreyEngland
Ages · share of residents
28%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications9%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level52%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
About 112 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| The Sands | Surrey | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 12% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 36% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 8.8% | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.5% | 4.2% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 52% | 42% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Surrey and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
The car carries 88% of commuters in The Sands, more than in both Surrey’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 64% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Nearly a quarter of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Working mainly from home: 64% of workers, above Surrey’s towns (44%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. Unemployment benefit claims reached 0.7% of 16 to 64s in 2026. Work in town: 2% of resident commuters.
11%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot9%
Train2%
24%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
64%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£76K
mean household income, before tax
0.7%
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 own their home in The Sands than in Surrey’s towns or across England’s towns: 92%
Social housing holds 2% of households, below both Surrey’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (18%). Renting privately is how 6% of households live. Private rents average £1,736 a month across the Guildford council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
The Sands£0K
Typical UK town£277K
92%
of households own their home · England 61%
6%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,736
average private rent a month, Guildford council area
£2,678
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
Violence is recorded less often in The Sands than in Surrey’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.4 per 1,000 residents a year
Police recorded 4 crimes inside The Sands’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 1 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violence and sexual offences made up 25% of the total. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 2.5 reports per 1,000, below both Surrey’s towns (7.4) and England’s towns (7.8).
3.4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual1
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Other theft0
Drugs0
Anti-social1
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.
3.4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
10.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
4
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
Just 2.1% of people in The Sands say their health is bad or very bad, fewer than in both Surrey’s towns and England’s towns
The nearest A&E to The Sands is Royal Surrey County Hospital, 6.1 miles away. Asked at the census, nine in ten residents of The Sands said they were in good or very good health. At the census, 13% of people here had a disability, near Surrey’s towns (14%) and lower than England’s towns (17%).
90%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 90%Fair 8%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | The Sands | Surrey | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 90% | 87% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.1% | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 13% | 14% | 17% |
81.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.3
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
No listed buildings in The Sands
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside The Sands’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
36%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about The Sands
12pages on The Sands
The big questions
The Sands’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Badshot LeaElsteadFarnhamAldershotWeybourneAsh and Ash ValeWreccleshamThe Sands
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sands | 393 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Badshot Lea | 1,883 | 1.8 | — | B− | B | A |
| Elstead | 2,261 | 2.3 | — | C+ | B− | A− |
| Farnham | 20,499 | 2.4 | A+ | C+ | B− | A |
| Aldershot | 39,827 | 2.6 | B− | C+ | D | C |
| Weybourne | 11,241 | 2.8 | A | B− | B+ | A+ |
| Ash and Ash Vale | 24,284 | 3.5 | B− | C+ | B− | B |
| Wrecclesham | 7,312 | 3.5 | A+ | C | A | A+ |
Badshot Lea and Elstead have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about The Sands
How much is council tax in The Sands?
Band D council tax in The Sands is £2,678 for 2026–27, more than in 94% 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 The Sands
Village in Surrey, England
The Sands is a built-up area of 393 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
- 393 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Guildford
- County
- Surrey
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005678
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.