Neighbourhood · Maidstone

Bearsted & Downswood: house prices and how the area is changing

Official figures for the Bearsted & Downswood neighbourhood of Maidstone, England (ONS area Maidstone 007). Headline figures assembled 3 October 2026. Additional local information checked 13 October 2026. Postcodes ME14, ME15. Figures that read a point use the neighbourhood's centre, near ME14 4DS.

One of the most affluent neighbourhoods in England, changing little against Maidstone

Bearsted & Downswood is one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in England; it is changing little against Maidstone (signals are mixed: 2 rising and 2 falling of 20). Houses here typically resell for £407,000 (median resale price, 2023-2025). Recorded crime is lower than across Maidstone (0.4 times the borough's rate), schools nearby are improving slower than the council's and the nearest station, Bearsted, is about a 12-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre.

The neighbourhood in brief, from the figures on this page. Summary updated 13 October 2026; source dates are shown below.

Typical house price

£407,000

Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +12% against 2017-2019.

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data

Affluence today

Among the most affluent

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 +0.00; 2 of 20 signals up, 2 down, against the borough.

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

Deprivation

Decile 10 of 10

English Indices of Deprivation 2025: 1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods, 10 the least. At the neighbourhood's centre; its 5 small areas range from decile 8 to 10.

Source: MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025

Average household income

£67,100

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

Source: Office for National Statistics

Recorded crime

0.4 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

Slower than the council's

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

Source: Ofsted, Department for Education

Where Bearsted & Downswood sits in Maidstone

Typical house price: 5th highest of 19 neighbourhoods in Maidstone
Average household income: 5th highest of 19 neighbourhoods in Maidstone

Ranked among the council's neighbourhoods by the figures on each one's own page, checked 13 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 Bearsted & Downswood

Median resale price of houses each year here and across Maidstone, 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 Maidstone, 1996 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 13 October 2026. Medians each year, not a valuation of any home.

How the area is changing, signal by signal

2 of 20 counted signals point towards rising affluence against Maidstone, 2 the other way and 16 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

Homes improving their energy rating
Benefit claims (DWP)

Falling behind the borough

Schools improving
Catching up with neighbouring areas

Stations and schools nearby

Nearest station

Bearsted Railway station, about a 12-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (920 m in a straight line). About 3.6 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: Southeastern to London Victoria (about 75 min) and Ashford International (about 26 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 Thurnham Church of England Infant School 420 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Feb 2023).
Nearest state secondary school School of Science and Technology Maidstone 2.0 km from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Outstanding (Jan 2023).

Schools: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (11 October 2026); inspections: Ofsted's management information as at 31 August 2026, in Ofsted's own words. Straight-line distances; not a catchment or admissions assessment.

Questions about Bearsted & Downswood

What is the typical house price in Bearsted & Downswood?

£407,000. Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +12% against 2017-2019.

How does Bearsted & Downswood compare with the rest of Maidstone?

Typical house price: 5th highest of 19 neighbourhoods in Maidstone. Average household income: 5th highest of 19 neighbourhoods in Maidstone.

Is Bearsted & Downswood an affluent area?

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

Is Bearsted & Downswood gentrifying?

Mixed signs. Weighted balance +0.00; 2 of 20 signals up, 2 down, against the borough.

What is the nearest station to Bearsted & Downswood?

Bearsted. Railway station, about a 12-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (920 m in a straight line). About 3.6 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: Southeastern to London Victoria (about 75 min) and Ashford International (about 26 min).

Which state schools are nearest to Bearsted & Downswood?

Nearest state primary school. Thurnham Church of England Infant School. 420 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Feb 2023). Nearest state secondary school. School of Science and Technology Maidstone. 2.0 km from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Outstanding (Jan 2023).

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.