Penhill
Swindon 003 · 4 sub-areas · 6,970 residents
Swindon 003 is a predominantly residential area within Swindon, home to around 6,970 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for roughly £974 a month — noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed — and the area stands out for an unusually high share of social housing, with well over half of residents renting from the council or a housing association.
Penhill is a green, lower-density part of Swindon — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters. The demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in Penhill?
Day-to-day life sits close to greenery — a park or playing field is within easy walking distance of most addresses; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,082 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.
Penhill in Swindon
Living in Penhill
This part of Swindon has a strong community character shaped by its social housing stock. More than half of all households here are in social rented homes — a proportion that's well above anything you'd expect across Swindon as a whole, let alone the national average. That tenure mix means the area tends to attract long-settled families and households who've put down roots, rather than the transient renters you'd see in city-centre postcodes.
On cost, Swindon 003 sits at the affordable end of the Swindon spectrum. A two-bedroom home runs around £974 a month, and a three-bedroom is roughly £1,201 — reasonable figures for a town that's itself well below London or Bristol pricing. The private rental market here is thin, with only around one in thirteen households renting privately, so supply of market-rate lets can be limited.
The population skews young — nearly three in ten residents are under 18, one of the higher shares you'll find in Swindon. Younger working-age adults (18 to 34) make up a further 22%, giving the area a noticeably family-oriented feel. Degree-level qualifications are relatively uncommon at around 14%, and the median resident salary sits at roughly £33,100 a year.
Practically, most people here drive — around 60% commute by car, and only about one in ten use public transport for the journey to work. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 3 km away in straight-line terms, around a 38-minute walk, so you'll want a car or a bus for most daily trips. Greenspace is genuinely accessible, though: more than three quarters of residents are within a walkable distance of green space, with the nearest patch just over 200 metres away on average. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
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Frequently asked
- Is Swindon 003 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're after. The area has strong community roots, good greenspace access, and genuinely affordable rents. The trade-off is a crime rate above the national average, a below-average share of well-rated schools nearby, and limited public transport. It suits families and long-term residents more than young professionals or commuters without a car.
- What is the rent in Swindon 003?
- A typical one-bedroom runs around £809 a month, a two-bedroom roughly £974, and a three-bedroom around £1,201. These are estimates scaled from Swindon-wide data using local sale prices. The private rental market here is small — most housing is social rented — so available market-rate lets can be limited.
- Is Swindon 003 safe?
- Crime runs at around 132 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, which is noticeably above the UK national rate of roughly 80. The area sits in the most deprived decile nationally, which tends to correlate with higher crime figures. It's worth checking street-level data on Police.uk for the specific streets you're considering.
- What's the commute from Swindon 003 to Swindon town centre?
- Most residents drive — around 60% commute by car. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 3 km away (about a 38-minute walk in a straight line), so for most daily trips you'll want a car or bus. Public transport mode share is low at around 11%, reflecting how car-dependent this part of Swindon is.
- Who lives in Swindon 003?
- Predominantly families in social housing — over half of households rent from the council or a housing association. Nearly 30% of residents are under 18, one of the higher youth shares in Swindon. Most residents are UK-born (around 90%), and degree-level qualifications are less common here than across Swindon as a whole.
- What schools are near Swindon 003?
- There are 63 schools within 2 km, so options aren't scarce. However, only around 43% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 1,350 metres away. It's worth researching individual schools and their current catchment areas directly.
- How far is Swindon 003 from London by train?
- The rail journey to London takes around 85 minutes by public transport from Swindon. The nearest mainline station is roughly 3 km away, so factor in getting to the station first — most people drive or take a bus. The commute is feasible but on the longer side for a regular London commute.