Neighbourhood · Bedford

Harpur: house prices and how the area is changing

Official figures for the Harpur neighbourhood of Bedford, England (ONS area Bedford 010). Headline figures assembled 29 October 2026. Postcodes MK40, MK41. Figures that read a point use the neighbourhood's centre, near MK41 7SQ.

A neighbourhood with below-average incomes, changing little against Bedford

Harpur is a neighbourhood with below-average incomes; it is changing little against Bedford (signals are mixed: 3 rising and 3 falling of 20). Houses here typically resell for £320,750 and flats for £150,000 (median resale prices, 2023-2025). Recorded crime is higher than across Bedford (1.8 times the borough's rate), schools nearby are improving faster than the council's and the nearest station, Bedford, is about a 12-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre.

The neighbourhood in brief, from the figures on this page. Summary updated 29 October 2026; source dates are shown below.

Typical house price

£320,750

Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +26% against 2017-2019.

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data

Typical flat price

£150,000

Median resale price of flats in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +13% against 2017-2019.

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data

Affluence today

Below average income

How well off the neighbourhood is now, from household income, home prices and deprivation.

Source: ONS, HM Land Registry, MHCLG Indices of Deprivation

Signs of gentrification

Mixed signs

Weighted balance +0.04; 3 of 20 signals up, 3 down, against the borough.

Source: Official statistics on prices, incomes, benefits, businesses, schools and more (a full report shows every signal)

Deprivation

Decile 2 of 10

English Indices of Deprivation 2025: 1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods, 10 the least. At the neighbourhood's centre; its 6 small areas range from decile 1 to 7.

Source: MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025

Average household income

£43,500

ONS estimate for the neighbourhood (modelled, with a margin of error).

Source: Office for National Statistics

Recorded crime

1.8 times the borough's rate

Crimes recorded by the police over 12 months (not anti-social behaviour) per resident, against the borough. Crime per resident can overstate the risk in busy centres where many people work or visit.

Source: Police.uk

Schools getting better

Faster than the council's

Nearby state schools' latest Ofsted inspections and results, against the council's schools.

Source: Ofsted, Department for Education

Where Harpur sits in Bedford

Typical house price: 8th lowest of 21 neighbourhoods in Bedford
Typical flat price: 2nd lowest of the 12 neighbourhoods in Bedford with enough flat sales for one
Average household income: the lowest of 21 neighbourhoods in Bedford

Ranked among the council's neighbourhoods by the figures on each one's own page, checked 29 October 2026: typical prices are HM Land Registry resale medians over the latest three-year window, household income the ONS's modelled estimate, with a margin of error, so neighbourhoods a place or two apart may not really differ.

Prices over time in Harpur

Median resale price of houses each year here and across Bedford, 1995 to 2026 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data: standard sales, new builds left out). Years with fewer than 10 sales here are left out. 2026 is the year so far (dashed).

Median resale price of flats each year here and across Bedford, 1995 to 2026 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data: standard sales, new builds left out). Years with fewer than 10 sales here are left out. 2026 is the year so far (dashed).

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, held locally and checked 29 October 2026. Medians each year, not a valuation of any home.

How the area is changing, signal by signal

3 of 20 counted signals point towards rising affluence against Bedford, 3 the other way and 14 in line. A reading of official statistics against the borough, not a prediction; a full report shows every signal's figures and weight. Where this reading sits among every neighbourhood in England and Wales: the gentrification league table.

Rising against the borough

Single-person households under 65
Income deprivation ranking
Schools improving

Falling behind the borough

Anti-social behaviour
Home improvement applications
Homes selling

Stations and schools nearby

Nearest station

Bedford Railway station, about a 12-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (880 m in a straight line). About 9.8 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: Thameslink to Three Bridges (107 to 121 min); East Midlands Railway to London St Pancras International (about 42 min).

Station locations: NaPTAN (Department for Transport). Trains: Network Rail's timetable for Tuesday 6 October 2026, with the timetabled minutes of direct trains; timetabled, not live running. Distances from the neighbourhood's centre in a straight line, walked at 4.8 km/h; the real route is longer.

Nearest state schools

Nearest state primary school Livingstone Primary School 90 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Mar 2023).
Nearest state secondary school Bedford Free School 1.4 km from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Outstanding (Jan 2020). Ungraded visit Apr 2025: Standards maintained.

Schools: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (20 October 2026); inspections: Ofsted's management information as at 30 September 2026, in Ofsted's own words. Straight-line distances; not a catchment or admissions assessment.

Questions about Harpur

What is the typical house price in Harpur?

£320,750. Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +26% against 2017-2019.

How does Harpur compare with the rest of Bedford?

Typical house price: 8th lowest of 21 neighbourhoods in Bedford. Typical flat price: 2nd lowest of the 12 neighbourhoods in Bedford with enough flat sales for one. Average household income: the lowest of 21 neighbourhoods in Bedford.

Is Harpur an affluent area?

Below average income. How well off the neighbourhood is now, from household income, home prices and deprivation.

Is Harpur gentrifying?

Mixed signs. Weighted balance +0.04; 3 of 20 signals up, 3 down, against the borough.

What is the nearest station to Harpur?

Bedford. Railway station, about a 12-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (880 m in a straight line). About 9.8 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: Thameslink to Three Bridges (107 to 121 min); East Midlands Railway to London St Pancras International (about 42 min).

Which state schools are nearest to Harpur?

Nearest state primary school. Livingstone Primary School. 90 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Mar 2023). Nearest state secondary school. Bedford Free School. 1.4 km from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Outstanding (Jan 2020). Ungraded visit Apr 2025: Standards maintained.

Each answer repeats a figure shown above, with its source there.

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Neighbourhood names: House of Commons Library, MSOA Names, Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains public sector information (MHCLG, Police.uk, Ofsted, Department for Education) licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Station locations from NaPTAN (Department for Transport), Open Government Licence v3.0. Trains: contains information of Network Rail Infrastructure Limited licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures describe the area, not any home, and are not a valuation or a prediction.