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Cottonmill & Sopwell

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About

Cottonmill and Sopwell lie immediately west of St Albans city centre, with Cottonmill arranged along Cottonmill Lane beside the River Ver and Sopwell clustered around Sopwell Lane. The area is mainly residential, with a mix of terraces and semi‑detached housing, local shops, a primary school and community facilities within walking distance. Local buses link the neighbourhood to the city centre and train stations, and lanes and footpaths provide direct pedestrian routes across the river and into nearby streets. Allotments and small playing fields are scattered through the neighbourhood and used by residents year round.

The River Ver runs through both Cottonmill and Sopwell, shaping green corridors and back gardens and providing routes for walkers. Close to Sopwell Lane are the remains of the medieval nunnery, with earthwork fishponds and stone fragments set into the riverside landscape; these features sit alongside modern housing and public open space. Quiet riverside paths and short connecting streets make the area practical for everyday errands while preserving access to the older, visible layers of the town’s history.

Area overview

On average Cottonmill & Sopwell has low deprivation and average crime levels, with around 69 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, about 16% below the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. Approximately 23.5% of homes in this area are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. The average income per household in Cottonmill & Sopwell is £66,948 per year. There are 3 schools in Cottonmill & Sopwell: 3 primary (0 Outstanding and 3 Good) and 0 secondary (0 Outstanding and 0 Good). Cottonmill & Sopwell is home to around 7,710 people, with a population density of about 2,526.1 per km².

Crime rate
6/10
Crimes per 1k residents
69
Deprivation level
4/10
Income level
8/10
Social housing
23.5%
Connectivity
N/A

Area Profile

Cottonmill & Sopwell Population
7,710
Population density
2,526.1 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
24.9(-21%)
Anti-social behaviour
24.51(+112%)
Shoplifting
15.3(+124%)
Other theft
10.77(+97%)
Vehicle crime
9.73(+121%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
4,697
60.92%
Other White
798
10.35%
Bangladeshi
697
9.04%
Irish
177
2.3%
Indian
157
2.04%
Total population: 7,710

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
2,874
48.78%
No qualifications
810
13.75%
Level 3 (A level)
749
12.71%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
601
10.2%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
515
8.74%
Total 16+ residents: 5,892

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns with a mortgage
954
31.8%
Owns outright
748
24.93%
Social rents from council
576
19.2%
Private landlord or letting agency
505
16.83%
Other social rented
136
4.53%
Total households: 3,000

Property prices in Cottonmill & Sopwell

Median price£535,000
Price per sq ft£622
Sales (last 12 months)81
Typical range (middle 50%)£410K – £683K

Based on 81 recent sales, the median property price is £535,000 (about £622 per square foot) in Cottonmill & Sopwell area, with individual transactions ranging from £150,000 up to £1,525,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Cottonmill & Sopwell over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached4£807,500£736
Semi-Detached21£585,000£605
Terraced29£555,000£656
Flats27£410,000£569

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Cottonmill & Sopwell

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Cottonmill & Sopwell.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£305,000£551,000£480,000
2017£910,000£301,000£572,527£455,000
2018£1,735,000£285,750£500,000£540,000
2019£1,047,500£308,750£563,000£480,000
2020£707,500£286,000£675,000£508,500
2021£1,015,000£312,000£680,000£550,000
2022£1,200,000£325,000£726,500£562,500
2023£625,000£315,000£735,000£530,000
2024£725,000£300,000£612,500£750,000
2025£807,500£372,500£600,000£595,000
2026£585,000£313,750£607,500£460,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Cottonmill & Sopwell.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Cottonmill & Sopwell.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£495£473£557
2017£483£516£497£577
2018£579£470£529£555
2019£740£544£553£596
2020£497£522£561£519
2021£632£530£617£619
2022£710£513£614£663
2023£734£488£657£636
2024£667£493£639£652
2025£791£549£672£646
2026£632£583£628£673
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Cottonmill & Sopwell.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Cottonmill & Sopwell in the last year.

Frequently asked questions about Cottonmill & Sopwell

Is Cottonmill & Sopwell safe?

Cottonmill & Sopwell records about 69 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a average crime rate for England: it scores 6 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level.

What is the average house price in Cottonmill & Sopwell?

The median sale price in Cottonmill & Sopwell is £535,000 (about £622 per square foot) based on 81 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

Are there good schools in Cottonmill & Sopwell?

Cottonmill & Sopwell has 3 primary schools (3 Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is Cottonmill & Sopwell?

Cottonmill & Sopwell scores 4 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. The typical neighbourhood in Cottonmill & Sopwell sits around rank 20,952 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

What is the average household income in Cottonmill & Sopwell?

The average household income in Cottonmill & Sopwell is around £66,948 per year, and 24% of homes are social housing (ONS data).

All postcodes in Cottonmill & Sopwell

AL12RJ

St Albans Retail Park

AL11JB

Verulam Industrial Estate

AL11PU

Old London Road

AL12BP

Boleyn Drive

AL11TZ

Old London Road

AL12JL

Wallingford Walk

AL12PE

Vesta Avenue

AL11RX

Riverside Road

AL11SQ

Cornwall Road

AL12HH

Cottonmill Lane

AL12JX

Maynard Drive

AL11TT

De Tany Court

AL12EF

Old Oak

AL12PU

Vicarage Close

AL12NY

Howland Garth

AL12LQ

Creighton Avenue

AL12HQ

Old Oak

AL12DE

Everard Close

AL12DP

The Brambles

AL12AY

Ashwood Mews

AL12HN

Butterfield Lane

AL12LT

Holyrood Crescent

AL12PY

Watling Street

AL12NE

Leaf Way

AL12HW

Gorham Drive

AL12NZ

Kempe Close

AL12JB

Berners Drive

AL11SR

Approach Road

AL12AP

Chapel Place

AL11TU

De Tany Court

AL11HW

Cottonmill Crescent

AL11HP

Sumpter Yard

AL12BJ

Mentmore Road

AL12LN

Holyrood Crescent

AL11RF

Thorpe Road

AL11XU

Latium Close

AL12BH

Nunnery Close

AL11SP

Approach Road

AL12LD

Mandeville Drive

AL12JT

Maynard Drive

AL12BB

Cottonmill Lane

AL22EX

Flint Cottages

AL11XT

Albeny Gate

AL11HF

Holywell Hill

AL12LP

Holyrood Crescent

AL12BL

Sadleir Road

AL12NJ

Tavistock Avenue

AL12HL

Butterfield Lane

AL12NW

Tavistock Avenue

AL11TX

De Tany Court

AL12NS

Tavistock Close

AL11PP

Old London Road

AL11HH

Cottonmill Lane

AL12ES

Old Oak

AL12PN

Fernecroft

AL12QT

Mercers Row

AL12DN

Holywell Hill

AL11AX

Vickers Mews

AL12JP

Trumpington Drive

AL12QS

Mercers Row

AL12HA

Mile House Lane

AL11QQ

Old London Road

AL12JW

Trumpington Drive

AL12LE

Mandeville Drive

AL12PW

Tavistock Avenue

AL12BU

Holly Close

AL11HL

Cottonmill Lane

AL12AT

Prospect Road

AL12DD

Holyrood Crescent

AL12EY

Cottonmill Lane

AL12HJ

Butterfield Lane

AL12JA

Priory Walk

AL12BW

Sadleir Road

AL11AJ

Orient Close

AL12JU

Hudson Close

AL12EX

Cottonmill Lane

AL12LU

Holyrood Crescent

AL12BX

Prospect Road

AL12JH

Abbots Avenue West

AL12BE

Leyland Avenue

AL12BT

Cottonmill Lane

AL12PA

Watling View

AL12HS

Nuns Lane

AL12NG

Doggetts Way

AL11SG

Riverside Close

AL12HY

Abbots Avenue

AL12JJ

Wallingford Walk

AL12AR

Ashwood Mews

AL12JY

Trumpington Drive

AL12RA

Ashdales

AL12HE

Cottonmill Lane

AL12PB

Watling View

AL11SW

Ramsbury Road

AL12HT

Cloister Garth

AL12BD

Leyland Avenue

AL12NT

Watling View

AL11RZ

Riverside Road

AL11QF

Old London Road

AL12JN

Trumpington Drive

AL12EJ

Sopwell

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.