Blackbrook
St. Helens 008 · 7 sub-areas · 9,133 residents
St. Helens 008 is a settled, predominantly owner-occupied neighbourhood within St. Helens, home to around 9,100 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £707 a month — noticeably below the UK national median and among the more affordable corners of the North West. The area skews older than most of St. Helens, with nearly a quarter of residents aged 65 or over.
Blackbrook is a commuter neighbourhood within St. Helens — train into Liverpool runs in around 43 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. The population skews older, with a long-settled feel and a high share of retirees; most homes are owner-occupied, so turnover is low and many residents have been here a long time.
Overview
What's it like to live in Blackbrook?
2 parks and 2 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £774 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 7 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Blackbrook in St. Helens
Living in Blackbrook
This part of St. Helens has the feel of a well-established residential area — the kind of place where most people own their homes and have done for a long time. Around 72% of households are owner-occupied, which is substantially above the national average and gives the streets a settled, low-turnover character. Private renting is relatively rare here, at just over one in ten households.
Rents are genuinely low by any national measure. A two-bedroom home runs around £707 a month, and even a three-bedroom property typically comes in under £870. That's less than half what you'd pay for equivalent space in many parts of London, and comfortably below the UK national median of around £1,200 for a two-bed. For buyers, the median sale price sits at roughly £157,000 — meaning a deposit is achievable in about two and a half years on a typical local salary, which compares favourably almost anywhere in England.
The population here skews noticeably older than the St. Helens average. Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over, and the 50–64 age group is also larger than you'd expect, at over one in five. Single-person households make up just over a quarter of all homes. It's not a young professional enclave — if that's what you're after, other parts of St. Helens will suit you better.
Practically speaking, the area is car-dependent: nearly 69% of residents drive to work, and public transport use is low at around 5%. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2.1 km away — about a 26-minute walk, though most people drive. Manchester is reachable by public transport in just over 50 minutes. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on specific pockets within the neighbourhood.
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Frequently asked
- Is St. Helens 008 a nice place to live?
- It's a settled, quiet residential area with low rents and high owner-occupation. The trade-off is that it skews older, is heavily car-dependent, and the proportion of nearby schools rated Good or Outstanding is significantly below the national average. If you want affordable, stable and peaceful, it delivers. If you want young neighbours, good public transport or top-rated schools on your doorstep, you may struggle.
- What is the rent in St. Helens 008?
- A one-bedroom property runs around £569 a month, a two-bedroom about £707, and a three-bedroom roughly £863. These are estimates scaled from council-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose about 4.5% over the past year. Even so, this remains well below the UK national median of around £1,200 for a two-bed.
- Is St. Helens 008 safe?
- The crime rate is around 77 per 1,000 residents annually, which is slightly below the UK national average of roughly 80 per 1,000. That's a broadly average result for an urban area. The settled, owner-occupied character of the neighbourhood tends to keep anti-social behaviour relatively low on residential streets.
- What's the commute from St. Helens 008 to Manchester?
- By public transport it takes around 51 minutes to Manchester. Bear in mind that nearly 69% of residents here commute by car, so most people drive rather than use the train. The nearest rail station is about 2.1 km away — roughly a 26-minute walk, though most people drive to it.
- Who lives in St. Helens 008?
- Predominantly older, long-settled owner-occupiers. Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over, and the 50–64 group adds another 22%. It's not a particularly young or diverse area — around 97% of residents were born in the UK and over 70% own their home. Single-person households make up just over a quarter of all homes.
- What schools are near St. Helens 008?
- There are 95 schools within 2 km, so access isn't the issue. Quality is the concern: only around 21% of nearby schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, which is well below the national share of approximately 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 4.2 km away. Families should research specific schools carefully before choosing a street.
- How affordable is buying a home in St. Helens 008?
- The median sale price is around £157,000. On a typical local salary, you'd need roughly two and a half years of earnings to save a deposit — one of the more achievable timescales in England. That makes it genuinely accessible for first-time buyers, particularly compared to cities like Manchester or any part of southern England.