Back Lane Downside, Somerset
20 addresses across 2 postcodes (BA4), about 380 m long, classed as a minor road. USRN 25003392.
- Sales: 30 recorded sales since 1995; in 2023 the median was £455,000 across 1 sale.
- Energy: 10 homes have an energy certificate (D: 3, E: 3, F: 3, G: 1).
- Flood: No address on its postcodes is in an area at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water.
- Council tax: Most homes around it are in council tax band B; Band D in Somerset costs £2,561 a year in 2026-27.
- Broadband: Gigabit broadband is available to 0% of premises.
- Transport: The nearest railway station is Castle Cary, about 11.3 km (7 miles) away in a straight line.
- Green space: The nearest park or garden, Collett Park, is about 1.4 km (0.9 miles) away.
- Air: Background air pollution in 2024 was 4.9 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 5.6 of PM2.5, within UK legal limits.
- Height: Its addresses are 187 to 190 m above sea level.
- Noise: 12 of its 20 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic.
- Doctors: The nearest GP surgery is Park Medical Practice, about 1.7 km (1.1 miles) away.
- People: About 490 people lived in the census areas around it in 2021; 80% of households owned their home and 39% of adults held a degree or other higher qualification.
- Crime: 1 crimes were recorded within 250 m between September 2025 and August 2026, most often vehicle crime.
Sales on this street
| Year | Sales | Median price | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | £455,000 | £455,000 | £455,000 |
| 2020 | 1 | £285,000 | £285,000 | £285,000 |
| 2017 | 2 | £327,978 | £296,000 | £359,955 |
| 2015 | 2 | £271,250 | £262,500 | £280,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | £233,000 | £233,000 | £233,000 |
| 2010 | 1 | £242,500 | £242,500 | £242,500 |
| 2007 | 1 | £118,000 | £118,000 | £118,000 |
| 2006 | 4 | £240,000 | £200,000 | £272,000 |
| 2004 | 1 | £229,950 | £229,950 | £229,950 |
| 2003 | 1 | £230,000 | £230,000 | £230,000 |
| 2002 | 1 | £175,000 | £175,000 | £175,000 |
| 2001 | 3 | £185,000 | £115,000 | £204,000 |
| Date | Address | Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jul 2023 | NORTHBOURNE BA4 4JR | Detached | £455,000 | |
| 4 Sep 2020 | OAK COTTAGE BA4 4JR | Detached | £285,000 | |
| 24 Nov 2017 | HIGHFIELD BA4 4JR | Detached | £296,000 | |
| 12 Sep 2017 | 13 BA4 4JR | Detached | £359,955 | |
| 17 Apr 2015 | BEL-AIR BA4 4JR | Detached | £262,500 | Leasehold. |
| 1 Apr 2015 | WESTBOURNE BA4 4JR | Detached | £280,000 | Leasehold. |
| 13 Jun 2014 | 4 BA4 4JR | Semi-detached | £233,000 | Leasehold. |
| 10 Dec 2010 | 13 BA4 4JR | Detached | £242,500 | |
| 18 Jun 2007 | 5 BA4 4JR | Semi-detached | £118,000 | Leasehold. |
| 21 Jul 2006 | WESTBOURNE BA4 4JR | Detached | £250,000 | Leasehold. |
| 16 Jun 2006 | NORTHBOURNE BA4 4JR | Detached | £272,000 | |
| 15 Jun 2006 | OAK COTTAGE BA4 4JR | Detached | £200,000 | |
| 26 May 2006 | SARNIA BA4 4JR | Detached | £230,000 | |
| 13 Aug 2004 | WESTBOURNE BA4 4JR | Detached | £229,950 | Leasehold. |
| 9 Oct 2003 | FARTHINGS BA4 4JR | Detached | £230,000 | Leasehold. |
| 19 Apr 2002 | BYWAYS BA4 4JR | Detached | £175,000 | Leasehold. |
| 19 Oct 2001 | 13 BA4 4JR | Detached | £185,000 | |
| 24 Aug 2001 | MEADOW EDGE BA4 4JR | Detached | £204,000 | Leasehold. |
| 10 Aug 2001 | OAK COTTAGE BA4 4JR | Detached | £115,000 | |
| 29 Sep 2000 | FAYLANDS BA4 4JR | Detached | £150,000 | Leasehold. |
| 3 Feb 2000 | 5 BA4 4JR | Semi-detached | £53,000 | Leasehold. |
| 1 Oct 1999 | WESTBOURNE BA4 4JR | Detached | £110,000 | Leasehold. |
| 22 Jan 1999 | 13 BA4 4JR | Detached | £67,000 | |
| 28 Sep 1998 | 5 BA4 4JR | Semi-detached | £41,500 | Leasehold. |
| 17 Sep 1998 | MEADOW EDGE BA4 4JR | Detached | £135,000 | Leasehold. |
| 5 Jun 1998 | 2 BA4 4JR | Detached | £146,500 | |
| 13 Jan 1997 | 5 BA4 4JR | Semi-detached | £34,842 | Leasehold. |
| 19 Dec 1996 | HIGH VIEW BA4 4JR | Detached | £91,000 | |
| 4 Jun 1996 | 5 BA4 4JR | Semi-detached | £32,000 | Leasehold. |
| 24 Oct 1995 | FARTHINGS BA4 4JR | Detached | £83,000 | Leasehold. |
Energy performance certificates
10 homes with a current certificate; median floor area 122 m². Most common: Bungalow, detached (6); House, semi-detached (2); House, detached (2). Built: before 1900 (3); 1950-1966 (3); 1976-1982 (2). Tenure at assessment: owner-occupied (10).
Council tax
What each band costs in Somerset in 2026-27: Band D £2,561 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,707 | £1,992 | £2,276 | £2,561 | £3,130 | £3,699 | £4,268 | £5,121 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this street: most are in band B (26% of about 740 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: no postcode centre in this street's postcodes is in one.
- Listed buildings on or by this street: none.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Green belt: no.
Roadworks
No street works under way, planned or finished in the last three months on this street, in permits up to 30 September 2026.
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this street's postcodes, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 2 at low risk. Each address counts once, at the higher of its rivers-and-sea and surface-water risk.
Rivers and the sea alone: no home is in an area at risk.
High: 3.3% (1 in 30) or more chance of flooding a year. Medium: 1% to 3.3%. Low: 0.1% to 1%. Very low: under 0.1%. The rivers and sea figures allow for flood defences. Counts cover whole postcodes, which can include other streets.
Flood zone for planning: no postcode centre on this street is in flood zone 2 or 3.
| Postcode | Planning zone | Addresses at high / medium / low risk | Groundwater |
|---|---|---|---|
| BA4 4JR | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 0 | unlikely |
| BA4 4JX | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 2 | unlikely |
Height above sea level
The street's 20 addresses are between 187 m and 190 m above sea level (188 m on average).
Broadband
| Postcode | Superfast (30 Mbit/s+) | Ultrafast (300 Mbit/s+) | Gigabit | Below 10 Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA4 4JR | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| BA4 4JX | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Castle Cary 355,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 11.3 km (7 miles) |
| Bruton 53,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 11.9 km (7.4 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 2 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 2 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Back Lane Downside | 50 m |
| Bus or coach station | Bus Station Wells | 7.7 km (4.8 miles) |
| Car parks | Townsend Retail Car Park | 1.6 km (1 mile) |
| EV charging points | Be.EV Charging Station | 2.2 km (1.4 miles) |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Bristol Airport BRS | 23.6 km (15 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | Park Medical Practice | 1.7 km (1.1 miles) |
| Pharmacies | Boots | 1.7 km (1 mile) |
| NHS dentists | 3 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Town Street Dental Practice | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) |
| Hospital | Shepton Mallet Community Hospital | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) |
| Police station | Shepton Mallet Police Station | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) |
| Cash machines | Morrisons Daily - Shepton Mallet Cashzone | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | Collett Park 7.6 ha | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) |
| Play area | Unnamed 980 m² | 1.6 km (1 mile) |
| Playing field | Unnamed 5,780 m² | 2 km (1.2 miles) |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1,930 m² | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) |
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Two bowl barrows on Barren Down, 250m north west of Princes Lodge, a scheduled monument, 670 m (0.4 miles) south. 20 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles).
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Two bowl barrows on Barren Down, 250m north west of Princes Lodge | Scheduled monument | 670 m (0.4 miles) south |
| Market cross in the market place | Scheduled monument | 1.2 km (0.7 miles) south |
| Two round barrows on Beacon Hill | Scheduled monument | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor Hill | Hill | 710 m (0.4 miles) north-west |
| Beacon Hill | Hill | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) north-east |
| Beacon Wood | Wood | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) north-east |
| Ham Woods | Wood | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) west |
| Beacon Pond | Lake or reservoir | 2.3 km (1.4 miles) north-east |
| Binegar Bottom | Valley | 4 km (2.5 miles) north |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 4.9 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 5.6 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 8.9 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; PM2.5 is above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road and rail noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways |
|---|---|---|
| 70 to 74 | 1 | 0 |
| 65 to 69 | 1 | 0 |
| 60 to 64 | 3 | 0 |
| 55 to 59 | 7 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 8 | 20 |
12 of the street's 20 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
Climate, daylight and earthquakes
Monthly temperatures and rainfall, sunrise and sunset through the year, and earthquakes recorded nearby since 1970 are much the same across the area, so they are worked out once for Somerset: see them on the Somerset page.
Nearest schools
| School | Phase | Ages | Distance | Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery | Primary | 2–7 | 940 m (0.6 miles) | No published inspection |
| Whitstone | Secondary | 11–16 | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) | Report card (May 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention; Achievement: Needs attention; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard; Inclusion: Expected standard; Leadership and governance: Needs attention; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School | Primary | 7–11 | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) | Good (Oct 2023, overall grade under the previous framework) |
| Bowlish Infant School | Primary | 4–7 | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) | Report card (Jul 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Needs attention; Achievement: Needs attention; Attendance and behaviour: Needs attention; Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard; Inclusion: Needs attention; Leadership and governance: Needs attention; Early years: Needs attention; Safeguarding standards: Met |
Food hygiene ratings nearby
No rated food businesses within 500 m (0.3 miles).
Crime within 250 m
| Category | Crimes |
|---|---|
| Vehicle crime | 1 |
Most of these are attached to: On or near Bolter'S Lane (1).
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 15% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 21% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 80% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 43% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | under 1% | 17% |
| Private rented | 19% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 65% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 4% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 22% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 2% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 28% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 59% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 0% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 1% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 10% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 46% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 6% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 39% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 9% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 7% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 96% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | under 1% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this street is in decile 6 of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 1 is the most deprived tenth of England's 33,755 neighbourhoods and 10 the least.
What has changed
Nothing new since the change feed started on 30 October 2026. New sales and energy certificates, and hygiene ratings, school inspections and flood figures nearby, will be listed here as the sources update.
Postcodes on this street
Nearby streets
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether a particular house is at risk of flooding, subsiding or anything else: the flood map is a model of areas and there is no property-level data here.
- What a home is worth now: sales are historic prices for the homes that happened to sell.
- How safe the street is: crime points are moved to anonymised locations and many crimes are never reported.
- Whether you would get a place at a school: distances are straight lines, not catchments.
- Who lives on the street now: census figures describe the small areas around it in March 2021, during a lockdown.
- How long a journey takes or how often anything runs: transport distances are straight lines to the nearest stops.
- Whether a GP practice is taking new patients, or a dentist new NHS patients.
- How loud a home is inside, or noise from industry, neighbours or smaller airfields: noise figures are models of road, rail and air traffic outside.
How each figure on this page is matched to the street and worked out: methodology.