Melksham South
Wiltshire 022 · 5 sub-areas · 7,662 residents
Wiltshire 022 is a mainly rural stretch of Wiltshire, home to around 7,600 people and firmly in owner-occupier territory. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £950 a month — noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed — and the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1.2 km away. The trade-off is a long rail commute to London at around 92 minutes each way.
Melksham South is a commuter neighbourhood within Wiltshire — train into Bristol runs in around 49 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it.
Overview
What's it like to live in Melksham South?
3 parks and 3 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; 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; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,056 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Melksham South in Wiltshire
Living in Melksham South
This part of Wiltshire sits at the quieter end of the county's settlement pattern — mostly owner-occupied homes, a relatively older population, and genuinely affordable rents by any southern English standard. It doesn't feel like a suburb waiting to be discovered; it's an established, settled community with more than a quarter of residents aged 65 or over.
On the cost side, Wiltshire 022 is one of the more accessible parts of the South West for renters. A 2-bed averages around £950 a month — roughly £250 less than the UK median for an equivalent property. Buying is similarly within reach compared to major cities: the median sale price sits at around £264,000, and a first-time buyer saving a 10% deposit needs roughly four years of saving on a local income. Rents did rise about 6.7% in the past year, so affordability is tightening, but the baseline remains competitive.
The population skews older than the national picture. Around one in four residents is 65 or over, and the 50–64 bracket is also notably large at 21%. Single-person households make up more than a third of all homes. It's a community where people tend to stay put — nearly two thirds own their property outright or with a mortgage, and the ethnic diversity index is low at around 10, reflecting a predominantly UK-born population (over 92%).
Practically, you'll need a car here: nearly 60% of residents drive to work, and just 1.5% use public transport for their commute. The nearest rail station is about a 15-minute walk away, and from there London is around 92 minutes by train — manageable for occasional trips but not easy for a daily commute. Greenspace is genuinely close, with the nearest patch under 340 metres away on average and almost 40% of residents within easy walking distance of open land. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on specific pockets within the area.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Wiltshire 022 a nice place to live?
- It depends on what you're after. If you want quiet, affordable, owner-occupied countryside living with good broadband and green space nearby, it works well. Rents average around £950 a month for a 2-bed. The trade-off is car dependency, a thin school quality picture, and a long rail commute to London at around 92 minutes.
- What is the rent in Wiltshire 022?
- A one-bedroom home averages around £730 a month, a two-bedroom around £950, and a three-bedroom roughly £1,190. These are estimates scaled from county-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose about 6.7% in the past year, so they're moving upward but remain below the UK median for equivalent properties.
- Is Wiltshire 022 safe?
- The crime rate is around 99 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — modestly above the UK average of roughly 80, but not dramatically so. This is broadly consistent with many mixed rural-to-suburban areas in the South West, and unemployment is low at around 2.3%, which tends to correlate with community stability.
- What's the commute from Wiltshire 022 to London?
- By rail it's around 92 minutes — feasible for occasional trips but a long daily commute. The nearest station is about 1.2 km away (roughly a 15-minute walk). Most residents drive to work rather than commute by public transport, and around a quarter work from home.
- Who lives in Wiltshire 022?
- Mostly older, settled owner-occupiers. Around a quarter of residents are 65 or over, and nearly two thirds own their home. Single-person households make up more than a third of all properties. It's not an area with a large young-professional or student population — the 18–34 share is around 19%.
- What schools are near Wiltshire 022?
- There are 28 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 25% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national benchmark of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is about 12 km away. If schools are a priority, check individual Ofsted reports carefully before committing to the area.
- How far is Wiltshire 022 from a major city?
- The nearest major employment hub is around 49 minutes away by public transport or car. London is roughly 92 minutes by rail, Birmingham around 129 minutes. The area has a commuter town flag, meaning a meaningful share of residents do commute out for work, but most use a car rather than public transport.