Beckley’s story
46 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I
Historic England lists them inside Beckley’s built-up area.
24% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BeckleyEast Sussex
It is a village of 734 residents in East Sussex, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
The Parish Church of All Saints · Photo: MortimerCat · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
734
Census 2021 · Rother council
Median home
£520K
19 sales in 3 years
Median age
55
33% are 65+ · East Sussex 22%
Degree level
29%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Beckley a good place to live?
Towns under 1,000 residents aren’t graded, so Beckley has no grades; its figures are still real. 8% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. It has 46 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. The median sale price is £520,000.
What makes Beckley stand out
The 3 things Beckley does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade I, including The Parish Church of All Saints; 25.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
1.9 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Beckley.
Work & commute
Long commutes are the norm in Beckley: just 14% travel under 5 km, below East Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
8%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 35% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 88% of commuters, higher than both East Sussex’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (70%). Households take home £52K a year before tax, on average. Of the commuters living in Beckley, 3% work in the town itself. For every resident in work, Beckley has 0.4 jobs.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot5%
Train2%
Bus1%
14%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
35%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£52K
mean household income, before tax
2.2%
of 16 to 64s claim unemployment benefits (2026)
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Schools
The schools around Beckley
At the 4 primary schools within 3 km, just over two thirds of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). The town has one school, shown below. Its one primary school teaches 83 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beckley Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 83 | B− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Housing
Few households rent privately in Beckley: 9%, fewer than in East Sussex’s towns and across England’s towns
£520Kmedian sale
Home ownership covers three quarters of households. Private rents average £1,165 a month across the Rother council area. The social rented sector houses 14% of households.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Beckley£520K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £520,000 | 9 |
| Semi-detached | £565,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £300,000 | 5 |
75%
of households own their home · England 61%
9%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,165
average private rent a month, Rother council area
£2,658
council tax, Band D, 2026–27
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Safety
Beckley records more violent crime per resident than East Sussex’s towns or England’s towns, at 25 per 1,000 a year
25violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
There were 3.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both East Sussex’s towns (9.5) and England’s towns (7.8). Police recorded 49 crimes inside Beckley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 3 reports of anti-social behaviour. Nearly three fifths of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual29
Damage & arson8
Public order3
Drugs3
Other theft2
Burglary1
Weapons1
Robbery1
Anti-social3
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
25
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
9.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
49
crimes recorded in the 12 months to August 2026
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Health
Bad health is more common in Beckley than in East Sussex’s towns or across England’s towns: 6.4% of residents
81%good or very good health
The nearest A&E to Beckley is Conquest Hospital, 7.4 miles away. The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.2 miles away. 19% of residents have a disability, near East Sussex’s towns (20%) and higher than England’s towns (17%).
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 81%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Beckley | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.4% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 20% | 17% |
80.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · No age adjustment applies to these census answers, which flatter younger towns; the Health Grade’s measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them, do allow for age.
History
Much of Beckley is a conservation area: 100% of its land, more than in East Sussex’s towns and across England’s towns
46listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Homes from before 1919 make up 24% of the total. Beckley’s listed buildings include The Parish Church of All Saints, Grade I. For its size, Beckley has 627 listed buildings per 10,000 residents, higher than both East Sussex’s towns (70) and England’s towns (39). The top grade, Grade I, goes to 1 of them.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I1
Grade II*0
Grade II45
Among them · Grade I
- The Parish Church of All Saints Grade I
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
24%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
627
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Who lives here
Older residents shape Beckley: 33% are 65 or over, above East Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
55median age
29% of adults hold a degree, below both East Sussex’s towns (36%) and England’s towns (34%). The under-15s are 12% of the population here. Line up the people of Beckley by age and the one in the middle is 55.
BeckleyEast SussexEngland
Ages · share of residents
33%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications20%
Apprenticeship6%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level29%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Beckley | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 33% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 20% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.6% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Beckley
13pages on Beckley
The big questions
Safety25 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £520K · rent £1,165 a monthHousing3 sold in 12 months · busiest street Main StreetSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 80.5 (men), 84.6 (women)Work & commute56% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Great Dixter and 2 more in and around Beckley
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Beckley. Best known first.
GardenGreat Dixter2.5 km outside town, to the northwest
Historic houseBrickwall1 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionBodiam Boating Station3.2 km outside town, to the northPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Great Dixter: Miles Berry, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brickwall: Oast House Archive, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Beckley
Village in East Sussex, England
Beckley is a built-up area of 734 people, in the Rother council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
- Population
- 734 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Rother
- County
- East Sussex
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006178
Beckley’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
NorthiamRyeWestfieldWinchelsea BeachBenendenTenterdenHawkhurstBeckley
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckley | 734 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Northiam | 1,910 | 1.6 | — | D− | A− | B− |
| Rye | 4,888 | 4.8 | D− | D− | D | B− |
| Westfield | 1,271 | 5.7 | — | D− | D | B |
| Winchelsea Beach | 1,027 | 6.1 | — | D− | C+ | B− |
| Benenden | 1,409 | 6.3 | — | C− | A | B+ |
| Tenterden | 7,775 | 6.8 | C | C− | C | B+ |
| Hawkhurst | 3,683 | 6.8 | B+ | C+ | C | B+ |
Northiam, Westfield, Winchelsea Beach and Benenden have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Beckley
How many listed buildings are there in Beckley?
That is 25.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is The Parish Church of All Saints.
How much is council tax in Beckley?
Band D council tax in Beckley is £2,658 for 2026–27, more than in 93% of UK towns (council, county, police and fire, plus the parish or town council). Your own bill depends on your home’s band; check it on GOV.UK.
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.