Area guide, Bedfordshire
Living in Kempston
Kempston is a town of around 20,000 people about two miles south west of Bedford town centre, separated from Bedford by the River Great Ouse. It has its own schools, parks and shops, with the A421 and the M1 close by.
- £438,000
- average price of a detached home over the last year
- £326,000
- average price across all homes over the last year
- Around 20,700
- residents at the 2021 Census
HM Land Registry price paid data, year to July 2026, for Kempston. Population from the 2021 Census, for the parish of Kempston. Averages are rounded and include all property types sold in the period.
The town
Kempston takes its name from a bend in the river, and it is recorded in the Domesday Book as Camestone. All Saints' Church in Church End has Norman origins, and a sixth century Anglo Saxon burial site lies within the town. Until the nineteenth century Kempston was a rural parish of separate hamlets known as Ends, among them Up End, Bell End, Wood End and Box End. Kempston New Town was developed from 1870, Kempston Barracks was completed in 1876, and the population almost doubled in the second half of the twentieth century. Addison Howard Park, in the grounds of Grange House, is the town's main park, and Kempston has its own indoor swimming pool and the headquarters of Bedfordshire Police.
Homes and prices
Kempston offers period homes in its older ends, a large number of twentieth century family homes and newer houses on its edges. Detached homes sold for an average of around £438,000 over the year to July 2026, semi detached homes for around £331,000 and terraced homes for around £290,000. The average across all homes was around £326,000, 1% above the year before and 8% above the 2022 peak.
Getting about
Bedford and Bedford St Johns stations are around a mile and a half north east of the town, with trains from Bedford to London St Pancras taking from around 40 minutes. The A421 Bedford Southern Bypass runs along the south of Kempston, with a dual carriageway to Junction 13 of the M1. Universal's planned theme park and resort at Kempston Hardwick, south of Bedford, was granted planning permission in December 2025 and is expected to open in 2031.
Schools
Kempston has several primary schools, including Balliol, Bedford Road, Camestone and Springfield, and two secondary schools, Kempston Academy and Daubeney Academy. Bedford's independent schools are a short drive away. We always suggest checking current admissions arrangements with Bedford Borough Council for a specific address.
Questions about Kempston
How much does a house cost in Kempston?
Over the year to July 2026, detached homes in Kempston sold for an average of around £438,000, and the average across all homes was around £326,000, according to HM Land Registry.
Where is Kempston?
Kempston is a town in the Borough of Bedford, around two miles south west of Bedford town centre and separated from it by the River Great Ouse.
What schools are in Kempston?
Kempston has several primary schools, including Balliol, Bedford Road, Camestone and Springfield, and two secondary schools, Kempston Academy and Daubeney Academy. Bedford's independent schools are a short drive away.
Which estate agent sells homes in Kempston?
James Kendall & Co is an independent estate agency based at Marston Moretaine, a few miles from Kempston, that sells homes across the town and the surrounding villages. Every home we sell is styled, photographed and filmed as standard.
If you are thinking of selling in Kempston, our Pre-Market Report sets out the price we would launch at and the sales behind it.
Request a Pre-Market Report