Shaw’s story
4 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Shaw’s built-up area.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ShawWiltshire
A village of 458 in Wiltshire, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: My another account at en.wikipedia · Public domain
Population
458
Census 2021 · Wiltshire council
Median age
56.7
37% are 65+ · Wiltshire 19%
Degree level
43%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
5%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Shaw a good place to live?
Shaw has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Shaw stand out
The 3 things Shaw does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
5% 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 Christ Church; 3.6 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
37% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Shaw.
Who lives here
Shaw skews older, with 37% of residents 65 or over, more than in Wiltshire’s towns and across England’s towns
Degrees are held by 43% of adults, above both Wiltshire’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (34%). Children are 13% of the town. Half the people of Shaw are older than 56.7. People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.1% of the town.
56.7median age
ShawWiltshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
37%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level43%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Shaw | Wiltshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.1% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 12% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 37% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.8% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 43% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Wiltshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Shaw walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns: 5%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 44% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
44% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census. The car took 92% of commuters, above both Wiltshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%). For 32% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
5%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving92%
On foot4%
Train1%
32%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
44%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£64K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
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
Private renting is less common in Shaw than in Wiltshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 7%
1% live in social housing, below both Wiltshire’s towns (16%) and England’s towns (18%). Owners make up 92% of households. Private rents average £1,082 a month across the Wiltshire council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Shaw£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £500,000 | 5 |
92%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,082
average private rent a month, Wiltshire council area
£2,478
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
Shaw records less violent crime per resident than Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 8.7 per 1,000 a year
There were 1.5 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below Wiltshire’s towns (8) and England’s towns (7.8) alike. In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 4 crimes inside Shaw’s built-up area. Burglary and damage add up to 7.3 per 1,000 residents each year.
8.7violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Damage & arson2
Burglary1
Other crime1
Violence & sexual0
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Other theft0
Drugs0
Anti-social0
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.
8.7
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
7.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.5
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
Health
Bad health is more common in Shaw than in Wiltshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 9.4% of residents
Self-reported good health: 79% of Shaw’s residents. 23% of residents have a disability, higher than both Wiltshire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). Seeing a GP means leaving Shaw: the nearest practice is 2.1 miles away.
79%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 9%
| Census 2021 | Shaw | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 9.4% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 17% | 17% |
82.4
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.7
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Shaw’s listed buildings include Christ Church, Grade II*
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes built before 1919 account for 22% of the housing. Shaw has 87 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents, lower than Wiltshire’s towns (121) yet higher than England’s towns (39).
4listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II3
Among them · Grade II*
- Christ Church Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
22%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
87
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 →Lacock Abbey and 5 more in and around Shaw
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Shaw. Best known first.
Abbey or priory · National TrustLacock Abbey4 km outside town, to the northeast
Historic house · National TrustGreat Chalfield Manor3 km outside town, to the southwest
Historic houseCorsham Court5 km outside town, to the north
Garden · National TrustThe Courts Garden4.2 km outside town, to the southwest
Museum · National TrustFox Talbot Museum3.8 km outside town, to the northeastAttractionAttractionLady Margaret Hungerford Almshouses and Schoolroom4.5 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (5)
- Lacock Abbey: Jürgen Matern, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Great Chalfield Manor: Trish Steel, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Corsham Court: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Courts Garden: Nessy-Pic, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fox Talbot Museum: grumpylumixuser, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Shaw
12pages on Shaw
The big questions
Shaw’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
AtworthMelkshamBerryfieldHoltBowerhillCorshamRudloeShaw
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaw | 458 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Atworth | 1,293 | 1.4 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
| Melksham | 18,277 | 1.8 | C+ | A− | C | C |
| Berryfield | 1,094 | 2.2 | — | B | D | B+ |
| Holt | 1,704 | 2.6 | — | B− | A+ | A |
| Bowerhill | 3,976 | 2.9 | A− | B+ | B+ | A− |
| Corsham | 10,887 | 3 | B+ | B | B+ | B+ |
| Rudloe | 2,863 | 3.5 | A+ | A− | A− | A− |
Atworth, Berryfield and Holt have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Shaw
How many listed buildings are there in Shaw?
That is 3.6 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Shaw?
Band D council tax in Shaw is £2,478 for 2026–27, more than in 59% 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 Shaw
Village in Wiltshire, England
Shaw is a built-up area of 458 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
- 458 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wiltshire
- County
- Wiltshire
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63005209
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.