Fovant’s story
23 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Fovant’s built-up area.
38% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
FovantWiltshire
716 people call this village in Wiltshire, South West home.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Derek Harper · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
716
Census 2021 · Wiltshire council
Median home
£589K
24 sales in 3 years
Median age
56.1
33% are 65+ · Wiltshire 19%
Degree level
42%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Fovant a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Fovant has no grades; its figures are still real. 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 23 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. Homes change hands at a median £588,750.
What makes Fovant stand out
The 3 things Fovant does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% 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 George; 13.2 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.1 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fovant.
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 11% in Fovant, fewer than in Wiltshire’s towns and across England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 41% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
92% of commuters took the car to work at the census. Working mainly from home: 41% of workers, above Wiltshire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. Among 16 to 64s, 0.9% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. Work in town: 4% of resident commuters.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot4%
Bicycle1%
Bus1%
Train1%
Underground, tram1%
11%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
41%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£56K
mean household income, before tax
0.9%
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
Few households rent privately in Fovant: 13%, fewer than in Wiltshire’s towns and across England’s towns
71% of households own their home. Private rents average £1,082 a month across the Wiltshire council area. Social housing holds 15% of households, close to Wiltshire’s towns (16%) and below England’s towns (18%).
£589Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Fovant£589K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £618,750 | 22 |
71%
of households own their home · England 61%
13%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,082
average private rent a month, Wiltshire council area
£2,461
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
Fovant records less violent crime per resident than Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 6.1 per 1,000 a year
Fovant logged 9 reported offences in a year (to August 2026), plus 2 complaints of anti-social conduct. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 3.7 reports per 1,000, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (8) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 44% of the crimes.
6.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual4
Vehicle crime2
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
Drugs1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Other theft0
Anti-social2
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.
6.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
9
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
84% of people in Fovant rate their health good or very good
Seeing a GP means leaving Fovant: the nearest practice is 3.4 miles away. The nearest A&E to Fovant is Salisbury District Hospital, 9.3 miles away.
84%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 84%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Fovant | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 84% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.1% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 17% | 17% |
82.7
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Old homes shape Fovant: 38% were built before 1919, more than in Wiltshire’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.
For its size, Fovant has 321 listed buildings per 10,000 residents. Of the town’s land, 31% lies in conservation areas, above both Wiltshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (7%). Grade II* covers 1 of them.
23listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II22
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St George Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
38%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
321
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Fovant skews older, with 33% of residents 65 or over, more than in Wiltshire’s towns and across England’s towns
42% of adults hold a degree, above Wiltshire’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (34%) alike. The share aged 15 to 24 is 6.5%. Ages in Fovant split evenly at 56.1: half are older, half younger. Under 15: 16% of residents.
56.1median age
FovantWiltshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
33%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level42%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Fovant | Wiltshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 6.5% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 15% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Wiltshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Philipps House and 2 more in and around Fovant
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Fovant. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustPhilipps House2.3 km outside town, to the northCastleCastleCompton Park House2.6 km outside town, to the eastAttractionAttractionRoyal Welsh Yeomanry (Fovant Badge)800 m outside town, to the eastPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (1)
- Philipps House: Jürgen Matern, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Fovant
13pages on Fovant
The big questions
Safety6.1 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £589K · rent £1,082 a monthHousing6 sold in 12 months · busiest street Dinton RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 82.7 (men), 86.1 (women)Work & commute58% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards6.8% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Fovant’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
TisburyWiltonSalisburyShaftesburyMotcombeOld SarumShrewtonFovant
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fovant | 716 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tisbury | 2,274 | 3.6 | — | B | C+ | A |
| Wilton | 4,300 | 6.2 | B− | B | B− | B+ |
| Salisbury | 47,690 | 8.7 | B+ | B+ | C− | C+ |
| Shaftesbury | 9,163 | 8.8 | C− | C− | C+ | B |
| Motcombe | 1,366 | 9.5 | — | D− | A+ | A |
| Old Sarum | 4,013 | 9.7 | A− | A− | C− | B |
| Shrewton | 1,722 | 10 | — | B | B+ | A− |
Tisbury, Motcombe and Shrewton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Fovant
How many listed buildings are there in Fovant?
That is 13.2 times the typical UK town for its size.
About Fovant
Village in Wiltshire, England
Fovant is a built-up area of 716 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
- Population
- 716 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wiltshire
- County
- Wiltshire
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006071
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.