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Beacon
vs Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants

Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has the younger population: 18% of residents are aged 15–29, against 14% in Beacon. Homes in Beacon sold for a median of £449,000, 12% above Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has more green space nearby (37% within 500 m, against 20%).

Map of Dorset with Beacon highlighted
Beacon
277 postcodes
Map of Dorset with Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants highlighted
Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants
182 postcodes
Map of Dorset
Dorset
city average

People

Beacon has 5,169 residents in 1,989 households; Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has 4,976 in 1,917. Beacon has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 30%, 1.4 percentage points more than Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants (Dorset: 30%). The share of people living alone is about the same in both (24% and 25%).

5,169Residents (2021)
4,976Residents (2021)
379,579Residents (2021)
1,989Households
1,917Households
169,261Households
14.2%Aged 15–29
18.1%Aged 15–29
13.5%Aged 15–29
29.8%Aged 65 and over
28.4%Aged 65 and over
29.6%Aged 65 and over
24.3%Living alone
25.1%Living alone
30.6%Living alone

Homes and prices

In both, detached houses are the most common type of home: 61% of homes in Beacon and 53% in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. Beacon has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 79%, 7 percentage points more than Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants (Dorset: 70%). Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has the higher share of private renting: 16%, 2.4 percentage points more than Beacon (Dorset: 16%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £449,000 in Beacon and £400,000 in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants, against £345,000 across Dorset.

£449,000Median sale price
£400,000Median sale price
£345,000Median sale price
79.4%Owner-occupied
72.4%Owner-occupied
70.4%Owner-occupied
13.5%Private renting
15.9%Private renting
16.3%Private renting
6.8%Social renting
11.2%Social renting
12.3%Social renting
60.9%Detached houses
53.1%Detached houses
40.6%Detached houses
26.4%Semi-detached houses
28.3%Semi-detached houses
23.4%Semi-detached houses
10.1%Terraced houses
14.2%Terraced houses
19.3%Terraced houses
0.3%Flats
1.9%Flats
11.6%Flats

Surroundings

Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 37%, 17.7 percentage points more than Beacon (Dorset: 26%). A typical postcode has 5 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Beacon, and 10 in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. The typical postcode is 2,231 m from the nearest school in Beacon and 961 m in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. The typical postcode is 9,795 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Beacon and 17,369 m in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 90% of premises in Beacon and 89% in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants.

19.7%Green space within 500 m
37.4%Green space within 500 m
26.4%Green space within 500 m
5Services within 15 min (median)
10Services within 15 min (median)
23Services within 15 min (median)
2.2 kmNearest school (median)
961 mNearest school (median)
–Nearest school (median)
9.8 kmNearest tram or rail (median)
17.4 kmNearest tram or rail (median)
–Nearest tram or rail (median)
22Postcodes in flood risk areas
30Postcodes in flood risk areas
1,586Postcodes in flood risk areas
89.9%Gigabit broadband (premises)
89.0%Gigabit broadband (premises)
72.3%Gigabit broadband (premises)

Safety

Over 12 months, police recorded 41 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Beacon and 34 in Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants, against 56 across Dorset. Police.uk records crimes by approximate location, not by where victims or offenders live. Busy streets, shops, stations and nightlife record more. Figures are counts, not a measure of personal risk.

41Recorded crime per 1,000 residents
34Recorded crime per 1,000 residents
56Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

Sources: Census 2021 (ONS) · HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · official school registers · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Environment Agency · data.police.uk, 12 months to Aug 2026 · Ofcom Connected Nations

In brief.

Each ward in a few lines, from its own page.

Beacon

Beacon is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 5,169 people in 1,989 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £449,000 over the past two years, 30% above the Dorset median. On average 20% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 25% below the Dorset average.

Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants

Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 4,976 people in 1,917 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £400,000 over the past two years, 16% above the Dorset median. On average 37% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 42% above the Dorset average.

More comparisons.

Beacon and Hill Forts & Upper Tarrants next to other wards of Dorset.

Beacon vs Shaftesbury TownBeacon vs Sturminster NewtonBeacon vs GillinghamHill Forts & Upper Tarrants vs BlandfordHill Forts & Upper Tarrants vs Winterborne NorthHill Forts & Upper Tarrants vs Cranborne ChaseAll wards of Dorset