Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 485 in Wiltshire, South West.
Biddestone has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Biddestone does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists them inside Biddestone’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
36% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Biddestone.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 52% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income came to £67K a year before tax, higher than both Wiltshire’s towns (£62K) and England’s towns (£55K). 85% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Of the commuters living in Biddestone, 3% work in the town itself. Unemployment benefit claims reached 1.7% of 16 to 64s in 2026.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Owners make up 78% of households, higher than both Wiltshire’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Social housing holds 7% of households. What’s more, 15% of households rent privately.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £750,000 | 13 |
| Semi-detached | £405,250 | 6 |
| Terraced | £385,000 | 5 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Burglary and damage came to 6.2 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (7.3) and England’s towns (9.4). A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 5 offences in Biddestone and 4 cases of nuisance behaviour.
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
At the census, just over a tenth of people here had a disability, below Wiltshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. The nearest A&E to Biddestone is Royal United Hospital Bath, 9.5 miles away. There is no GP practice in the town: the nearest is 1.7 miles off.
| Census 2021 | Biddestone | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.3% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 11% | 17% | 17% |
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.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Biddestone has 75 listed buildings on Historic England’s list: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II*. Its listed buildings include the Church of St Nicholas, Grade I. It has 1,546 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Homes from before 1919 make up 36% of the total, above both Wiltshire’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (16%).
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The 15-to-24 age group: 7.4%, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (10%) and England’s towns (12%). Retirement age and beyond: 27% of residents are 65 or older. Half the people of Biddestone are older than 53.9. Also worth knowing: among adults, 48% have a degree.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Biddestone | Wiltshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 37% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 27% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 48% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Wiltshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Biddestone. Best known first.
Historic houseCorsham Court2.7 km outside town, to the southeast
Historic houseThe Manor House3.7 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionLady Margaret Hungerford Almshouses and Schoolroom3.2 km outside town, to the southWater parkWater parkThe Splashpad4.9 km outside town, to the eastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biddestone | 485 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Corsham | 10,887 | 2.2 | B+ | B | B+ | B+ |
| Rudloe | 2,863 | 2.6 | A+ | A− | A− | A− |
| Colerne | 2,415 | 3.2 | — | A− | A+ | A− |
| Chippenham | 36,084 | 3.3 | B+ | B+ | C+ | B− |
| Box | 1,287 | 3.8 | — | C+ | A+ | A− |
| Atworth | 1,293 | 4.7 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
| Marshfield | 1,299 | 5.2 | — | D | A− | A+ |
Colerne, Box, Atworth and Marshfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
By type: terraced houses £385,000, semi-detached houses £405,250 and detached houses £750,000. Private rents in the Wiltshire council area averaged £1,082 a month in August 2026.
That is 63.5 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Church of St Nicholas. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Village in Wiltshire, England
Biddestone is a built-up area of 485 people, in the Wiltshire 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.