Zeals’s story
Old homes in Zeals: 39% built before 1919
Historic England lists 10 buildings inside Zeals’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade II*.
39% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
ZealsWiltshire
Some 669 people live in this village, in Wiltshire, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Brendan and Ruth McCartney · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
669
Census 2021 · Wiltshire council
Median home
£405K
29 sales in 3 years
Median age
58.5
40% are 65+ · Wiltshire 19%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Zeals a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Zeals has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 8% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 10 listed buildings, 0 of them Grade I. 40% of residents are 65 or over.
What makes Zeals stand out
The 3 things Zeals does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% 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 Martin; 6.1 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
40% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Zeals.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Zeals than in Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns: 11% are under 15
People 65 and over make up 40% of the town, above both Wiltshire’s towns (19%) and England’s towns (18%). Aged 15 to 24: 8.4% of residents. The middle age in Zeals is 58.5.
58.5median age
ZealsWiltshireEngland
Ages · share of residents
40%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications19%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar13%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Zeals | Wiltshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 10% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 13% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 40% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.3% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 13% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Wiltshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Zeals
59% of pupils at the 3 primary schools within 3 km met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below. 52 pupils attend Zeals’s one primary school.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitesheet Church of England Primary AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 52 | B |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Zeals: 16% commute under 5 km, below Wiltshire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
89% of commuters drove, above Wiltshire’s towns (77%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Income per household averages £52K a year, before tax. Also worth knowing: of the commuters living in Zeals, 9% work in the town itself. Jobs per working resident: 1.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving89%
On foot7%
Bus1%
Bicycle1%
16%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
34%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
2.5%
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 Zeals than in Wiltshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 11%
69% of households own their home, above both Wiltshire’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Private rents average £1,082 a month across the Wiltshire council area. The median sale, £405,000, comes from 29 standard sales inside Zeals’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026.
£405Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Zeals£405K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £420,000 | 24 |
69%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,082
average private rent a month, Wiltshire council area
£2,399
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
Zeals records less violent crime per resident than Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns, at 6.5 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences were 29% of the crimes. Burglary and damage come to 12 per 1,000 residents a year. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 14 recorded crimes inside Zeals’s built-up area, and 3 reports of anti-social behaviour.
6.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual4
Burglary4
Vehicle crime2
Damage & arson1
Drugs1
Weapons1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
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.
6.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
12
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
14
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
Disability is more common in Zeals than in Wiltshire’s towns or across England’s towns: 23% of residents
The nearest A&E to Zeals is Yeovil District Hospital, 16.9 miles away. 78% of Zeals’ residents described their health as good or very good at the census, lower than both Wiltshire’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). At the census, 6.3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. This Wiltshire town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 0.6 miles away.
78%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 78%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Zeals | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.3% | 4.4% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 17% | 17% |
83.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
History
Zeals keeps more of its old housing than Wiltshire’s towns or England’s towns: 39% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Zeals has 149 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents. Grade II* covers 1 of them. Of Zeals’ land, 17% lies in conservation areas, above both Wiltshire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (7%).
10listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II9
Among them · Grade II*
- Church of St Martin Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
39%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
149
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 →Stourhead Park and 5 more in and around Zeals
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Zeals. Best known first.
Garden · National TrustStourhead Park1.9 km outside town, to the north
Attraction · National TrustKing Alfred's Tower4 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic house · National TrustStourhead House1.9 km outside town, to the north
MuseumMere Museum2.7 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumVisit Hillbrush1.4 km outside town, to the eastCastleCastleMere Castle2.6 km 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 (4)
- Stourhead Park: Jon Wornham, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- King Alfred's Tower: Jürgen Matern, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stourhead House: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mere Museum: Smb1001, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Zeals
13pages on Zeals
The big questions
Safety6.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £405K · rent £1,082 a monthHousing11 sold in 12 months · busiest street Zeals RiseSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 83.2 (men), 84.6 (women)Work & commute60% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Zeals’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
MereGillinghamWincantonMotcombeBrutonTemplecombeShaftesburyZeals
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeals | 669 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mere | 2,808 | 2.2 | A− | B | B | A− |
| Gillingham | 11,009 | 3.4 | C+ | C− | B | B |
| Wincanton | 6,744 | 4.6 | C− | C+ | C− | B− |
| Motcombe | 1,366 | 5.6 | — | D− | A+ | A |
| Bruton | 2,816 | 6.3 | B | C | C+ | A− |
| Templecombe | 1,657 | 7.3 | — | C+ | C+ | B+ |
| Shaftesbury | 9,163 | 7.7 | C− | C− | C+ | B |
Motcombe and Templecombe have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Zeals
How many listed buildings are there in Zeals?
That is 6.1 times the typical UK town for its size. 39% of Zeals’ homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Is Zeals expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £405,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
About Zeals
Village in Wiltshire, England
Zeals is a built-up area of 669 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
- 669 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wiltshire
- County
- Wiltshire
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006013
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.