Placetrics
Neighbourhood · West Berkshire · South East

Hermitage & Cold Ash

West Berkshire 007 · 4 sub-areas · 8,574 residents

Best for Families (72/100)Watch-out: Couples (46/100)Liveability 19/100 · Bottom quartile

Hermitage & Cold Ash is a mid-density neighbourhood of West Berkshire in the South East region. It sits between busier and quieter parts of the local authority and isn't dominated by a single use — there's a mix of workplaces, housing and local services. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children; most homes are owner-occupied, so turnover is low and many residents have been here a long time.

Median rent
£1,273+2.6%
vs last year
Crime / 1k / yr
28.2
Best 5% nationally
Best hub commute
116 min
Direct to London
Good schools 2 km
25%
2 schools within 2 km
Liveability
19/100
Bottom quartile
Population
8,574
4 sub-areas

Overview

Overview

What's it like to live in Hermitage & Cold Ash?

A snapshot of Hermitage & Cold Ash

Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; there's effectively nothing within walking distance — eating out, drinking and shopping mean a drive; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Transport links are limited — a car or e-bike is a practical assumption for most regular trips; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,273 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.

Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically

Figures are aggregated across 4 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.

Hermitage & Cold Ash in West Berkshire

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FAQ

Frequently asked

What's the median rent in Hermitage & Cold Ash?
The median monthly rent across Hermitage & Cold Ash is £1,273.
How safe is Hermitage & Cold Ash?
Hermitage & Cold Ash has a safety score of — out of 100, where higher is safer. The score is the national percentile rank of police-recorded crimes per 1,000 residents per year, inverted.
How well-connected is Hermitage & Cold Ash?
Transport score: — out of 100. Combines walking time to the nearest rail station, walking time to the nearest metro stop, and public-transport time to clusters with 5,000+ jobs. The nearest rail station is roughly 69 minutes' walk.
What schools are near Hermitage & Cold Ash?
There are 2 schools within 2 km of Hermitage & Cold Ash, of which 25% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 7645 m away.
What is the council tax band in Hermitage & Cold Ash?
The most common council tax band in Hermitage & Cold Ash is C, with the typical Band D annual charge around £3,071. Council tax is set by West Berkshire council and applies to every property in the area.
How long is the commute from Hermitage & Cold Ash to London?
By the fastest direct train, the journey from Hermitage & Cold Ash to central London is approximately 116 minutes. This is the fastest no-change rail journey from the local area centroid; door-to-door times will vary with walking time to the station.
Is gigabit broadband available in Hermitage & Cold Ash?
100% of premises in Hermitage & Cold Ash are gigabit-capable according to Ofcom Connected Nations 2025. Most properties can already buy gigabit packages.
What is the deprivation rank of Hermitage & Cold Ash?
Hermitage & Cold Ash sits in IMD decile 9 of 10, where 1 is the most deprived 10% of local areas nationally and 10 is the least deprived. The Index of Multiple Deprivation combines income, employment, education, health, crime, barriers and environment.
What's the tenure mix in Hermitage & Cold Ash?
74% of households in Hermitage & Cold Ash are owner-occupied. The remainder is split between private renting and social housing — see the Demographics section for the full breakdown from Census 2021.
What is the average property price in Hermitage & Cold Ash?
The average property price across West Berkshire (the local authority covering Hermitage & Cold Ash) is approximately £402,630, per HM Land Registry's House Price Index. Per-local area prices vary; see the cost-of-living section for medians by property type.
Is Hermitage & Cold Ash a commuter town or workplace hub?
Commuter town — most working residents travel out for work. (0.64 jobs per working-age resident. Median resident salary £38,513.)
Which local areas are part of Hermitage & Cold Ash?
Hermitage & Cold Ash contains 4 local areas: West Berkshire 007E, West Berkshire 007A, West Berkshire 007F, West Berkshire 007D.
FAQ

Frequently asked about Hermitage & Cold Ash

Short answers anchored in the data above. Each link goes to the relevant section or methodology page.

What is the average rent in Hermitage & Cold Ash?
The estimated median monthly rent in Hermitage & Cold Ash is £1,273. This is derived from the council-area ONS rental figure scaled by the local sale-price gradient — see the Cost section for the breakdown by bedroom count and the affordability ratio against local salaries.
Is Hermitage & Cold Ash a safe place to live?
Hermitage & Cold Ash has a safety score of 97/100. The score is the national percentile rank of police-recorded crime per 1,000 residents, inverted so 100 is the safest 1% of England + Wales. The Safety section below shows the breakdown by category.
What schools are near Hermitage & Cold Ash?
25% of schools within 2 km of Hermitage & Cold Ash are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. The Schools section lists individual schools with inspection ratings.
How long is the commute from Hermitage & Cold Ash?
Public-transport commute time from Hermitage & Cold Ash to central London is approximately 116 minutes. The Transport section has commute times to every major UK city hub.
How is Hermitage & Cold Ash different from the rest of West Berkshire?
Hermitage & Cold Ash contains 4 sub-areas. The "Sub-areas" section below lets you drill into each one individually — they often vary by 20%+ on rent and demographics within the same neighbourhood.
Where does Hermitage & Cold Ash rank in West Berkshire?
Hermitage & Cold Ash scores 19/100 on our composite liveability index. To see how it stacks up against every other neighbourhood in West Berkshire, see the Cities table on the West Berkshire page.