Neighbourhood · St Albans
Cottonmill & Sopwell: house prices and how the area is changing
Official figures for the Cottonmill & Sopwell neighbourhood of St Albans, England (ONS area St Albans 017). Headline figures assembled 4 November 2026. Postcodes AL1, AL2. Figures that read a point use the neighbourhood's centre, near AL1 2ED.
A middle-income neighbourhood, changing little against St Albans
Cottonmill & Sopwell is a middle-income neighbourhood; it is changing little against St Albans (few signs of gentrification: 1 of 20 signals rising, 3 falling). Houses here typically resell for £611,000 and flats for £315,000 (median resale prices, 2023-2025). Recorded crime is higher than across St Albans (1.3 times the borough's rate), schools nearby are improving faster than the council's and the nearest station, St Albans Abbey, is about a 7-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre.
The neighbourhood in brief, from the figures on this page. Summary updated 4 November 2026; source dates are shown below.
Typical house price
£611,000
Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +16% against 2017-2019.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Typical flat price
£315,000
Median resale price of flats in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +2% against 2017-2019.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Affluence today
Middle 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
Few signs
Weighted balance -0.04; 1 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 4 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 4 to 10.
Source: MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Average household income
£66,900
ONS estimate for the neighbourhood (modelled, with a margin of error).
Source: Office for National Statistics
Recorded crime
1.3 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 Cottonmill & Sopwell sits in St Albans
- Typical house price: 4th lowest of 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans
- Typical flat price: 9th highest of the 18 neighbourhoods in St Albans with enough flat sales for one
- Average household income: 2nd lowest of 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans
Ranked among the council's neighbourhoods by the figures on each one's own page, checked 4 November 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 Cottonmill & Sopwell
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, held locally and checked 4 November 2026. Medians each year, not a valuation of any home.
How the area is changing, signal by signal
1 of 20 counted signals point towards rising affluence against St Albans, 3 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
- Schools improving
Falling behind the borough
- Recent price momentum
- Anti-social behaviour
- Homes selling
Stations and schools nearby
Nearest station
- St Albans Abbey Railway station, about a 7-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (560 m in a straight line). About 1.1 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: West Midlands Railway or London Northwestern to Watford Junction (about 17 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 Mandeville Primary School 500 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Report card: Strong standard in 2 areas, Expected standard in 5 (Feb 2026).
- Nearest state secondary school The Marlborough Science Academy 880 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Nov 2023).
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.
Nearest A&E
- Nearest major A&E Watford General Hospital 11.2 km from the neighbourhood's centre, in a straight line.
Hospitals: NHS England, NHS Wales and Public Health Scotland site lists. Waiting times: NHS England's Emergency Care Data Set (experimental statistics), StatsWales and Public Health Scotland, Open Government Licence v3.0. The NHS standard is 95% within 4 hours. Ambulances go to the most suitable A&E, which is not always the nearest.
Questions about Cottonmill & Sopwell
What is the typical house price in Cottonmill & Sopwell?
£611,000. Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +16% against 2017-2019.
How does Cottonmill & Sopwell compare with the rest of St Albans?
Typical house price: 4th lowest of 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans. Typical flat price: 9th highest of the 18 neighbourhoods in St Albans with enough flat sales for one. Average household income: 2nd lowest of 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans.
Is Cottonmill & Sopwell an affluent area?
Middle income. How well off the neighbourhood is now, from household income, home prices and deprivation.
Is Cottonmill & Sopwell gentrifying?
Few signs. Weighted balance -0.04; 1 of 20 signals up, 3 down, against the borough.
What is the nearest station to Cottonmill & Sopwell?
St Albans Abbey. Railway station, about a 7-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (560 m in a straight line). About 1.1 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: West Midlands Railway or London Northwestern to Watford Junction (about 17 min).
Which state schools are nearest to Cottonmill & Sopwell?
Nearest state primary school. Mandeville Primary School. 500 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Report card: Strong standard in 2 areas, Expected standard in 5 (Feb 2026). Nearest state secondary school. The Marlborough Science Academy. 880 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Nov 2023).
Each answer repeats a figure shown above, with its source there.
Thinking of buying in Cottonmill & Sopwell?
A full report covers flood risk, schools, crime, your commute, energy, planning and how the area is changing, for the exact home.
Prepare a full report for a home here Read the full report for AL1 2ED, near the centre See a sample reportNearby neighbourhoods in St Albans
- Verulam Park
- St Albans Central
- The Camp & Cunningham
- Clarence Park
- Bernards Heath
- Longacres
- Townsend & New Greens
- How Wood & Park Street
- All 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans
Postcode districts
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.