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Central

Interactive map displaying Central

About

Central ward is a densely populated residential area located directly north of Watford's town centre. It is primarily characterised by Victorian and Edwardian terraced housing, with some modern apartment developments near the main transport links. The ward includes the neighbourhoods of Holywell and parts of Oxhey, providing homes for a significant portion of the town's population.

The area is well-connected by the Watford Junction railway station and major bus routes along St Albans Road. Cassiobury Park, one of the largest public parks in Hertfordshire with its historic avenues and the Grand Union Canal, forms a large green boundary to the west. Local commerce is focused along the main arterial roads, serving the everyday needs of the community.

Area overview

On average Central has high deprivation and high crime levels, with around 245 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, roughly 3.0× the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. Approximately 13.9% of homes in this area are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. The average income per household in Central is £54,093 per year. There are 5 schools in Central: 4 primary (1 Outstanding and 2 Good) and 1 secondary (1 Outstanding and 0 Good). Central is home to around 10,472 people, with a population density of about 6,363.2 per km².

Crime rate
8/10
Crimes per 1k residents
245
Deprivation level
7/10
Income level
4/10
Social housing
13.9%
Connectivity
N/A

Area Profile

Central Population
10,472
Population density
6,363.2 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
104.28(+231%)
Anti-social behaviour
75.15(+550%)
Shoplifting
48.41(+608%)
Other theft
26.17(+378%)
Public order
22.73(+344%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
3,608
34.45%
Other White
2,403
22.94%
Indian
974
9.3%
Pakistani
670
6.4%
Other Asian
620
5.92%
Total population: 10,474

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4 qualifications or above
4,063
47.29%
No qualifications
1,312
15.27%
Level 3 (A level)
1,068
12.43%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
862
10.03%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
661
7.69%
Total 16+ residents: 8,592

Housing

Housing tenure

Private landlord or letting agency
2,507
52.8%
Owns with a mortgage
851
17.92%
Owns outright
684
14.41%
Other social rented
441
9.29%
Other forms of private rent
101
2.13%
Total households: 4,748

Property prices in Central

Median price£317,500
Price per sq ft£475
Sales (last 12 months)89
Typical range (middle 50%)£215K – £400K

Based on 89 recent sales, the median property price is £317,500 (about £475 per square foot) in Central area, with individual transactions ranging from £105,000 up to £850,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Central over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Semi-Detached5£590,000£480
Terraced33£400,000£534
Flats51£228,000£429

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Central

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Central.
YearFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£260,025£593,000£352,500
2017£270,000£425,000£350,000
2018£255,000£488,750£346,000
2019£275,000£373,000£347,500
2020£217,500£550,000£368,000
2021£262,500£428,000£362,000
2022£315,000£540,000£408,000
2023£268,000£625,000£391,500
2024£298,900£565,000£413,000
2025£257,000£460,000£398,750
2026£215,000£410,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Central.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Central.
YearFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£455£451£477
2017£501£401£484
2018£454£418£439
2019£419£503£467
2020£407£491£482
2021£514£421£498
2022£495£526£495
2023£453£531£478
2024£594£405£493
2025£462£480£538
2026£400£489
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Central.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Central in the last year.

All postcodes in Central

WD172NW

High Street

WD171QA

St Johns Road

WD172PQ

Queens Road

WD172PU

Gartlet Road

WD172QQ

Sutton Road

WD172TB

Central

WD180BG

St Marys View

WD172QS

Grosvenor Road

WD172QE

Sutton Road

WD180LB

Rosslyn Road

WD172RH

Ottoman Terrace

WD171AP

Station Road

WD172PS

Estcourt Road

WD172SB

Ebury Road

WD180JL

Upton Road

WD171NP

Central

WD180GQ

Smith Street

WD171HX

Clarendon Road

WD180AH

Granville Road

WD171AW

The Parade

WD180RR

St Mary's Road

WD172QN

Queens Road

WD172QR

Queens Road

WD180BX

George Street

WD171EQ

Station Road

WD180QL

Central

WD171NA

The Parade

WD172LW

Derby Road

WD172QW

Queens Road

WD180LD

Grays Mews

WD180BP

King Street

WD171QE

Albert Road North

WD171QD

Franklin Road

WD171LU

The Parade

WD171DJ

Central

WD172AU

Beechen Grove

WD180QF

Cassio Road

WD172JH

Bridge Place

WD180AY

Roberts Road

WD172LZ

Derby Road

WD172ET

High Street

WD180GE

Hamilton Street

WD172DB

Lower High Street

WD180PN

Market Street

WD172GZ

High Street

WD172RG

Shaftesbury Road

WD172HZ

Lower High Street

WD171EE

Central

WD180QE

Francis Road

WD180JG

Exchange Road

WD180GP

King Street

WD180QX

Marlborough Road

WD171PB

Woodford Road

WD180PR

Market Street

WD171EA

The Parade

WD171JT

Clarendon Road

WD180TG

Exchange Road

WD171QF

Albert Road North

WD171DU

Clarendon Road

WD180JD

Exchange Road

WD172TQ

High Street

WD171PY

St Johns Road

WD172LD

Queens Road

WD171DF

St Johns Road

WD172AW

Frogmore Avenue

WD180BU

Exchange Road

WD172RD

Queens Place

WD180PD

Market Street

WD172TR

Central

WD172AA

Pumphouse Crescent

WD171DA

Clarendon Road

WD172HY

Lower High Street

WD171BH

Woodford Road

WD180AZ

May Cottages

WD172PD

Earl Street

WD171DH

Verulam Passage

WD171BN

St Albans Road

WD171TB

Clarendon Road

WD171AZ

Central

WD171HE

Clarendon Road

WD180BF

Sherborne Cottages

WD180QU

Exchange Road

WD172AD

Beechen Grove

WD172HS

High Street

WD180WJ

Central

WD172QY

Gladstone Road

WD172HF

Clarendon Road

WD171BY

St John's Road

WD180PJ

Exchange Road

WD172AB

Loates Lane

WD172LH

Queens Road

WD171BD

The Parade

WD180PX

Market Street

WD171BJ

Beechen Grove

WD180JQ

Rickmansworth Road

WD172DS

High Street

WD172RQ

Shaftesbury Road

WD172QF

Sutton Road

WD171ES

Central

WD180QQ

Cassio Road

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official UK government agencies and public datasets. Last updated: 16/07/2026. Read more about how our statistics are calculated.