Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2,616 people call this town in East Sussex, South East home.
More weak spots than strong ones. Police record more crime here than in most towns: 50 violent or sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, plus 16.3 home and vehicle crimes. Among UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, it has less crime per resident than 7%. Hellingly’s overall grade is D−, better than 3% of UK towns. Schools are weaker too (D) — primary results beat 30% of towns in England; secondary results beat 3% of towns in England. It takes 6.2 years of household income in the Wealden council area to buy the median home, at £365,000. Its best grade is for health — life expectancy is 81.5 for men and 85.8 for women. Few people walk, cycle or take the bus to work: 8% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport.
Figures: life expectancy and incomes, ONS · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · commuting, Census 2021.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Hellingly is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The 3 things Hellingly does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 4 buildings inside Hellingly’s built-up area, 1 of them Grade I.
8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Hellingly.
There were 33.8 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), higher than both East Sussex’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8). Reported offences in Hellingly came to 229 over twelve months to August 2026; nuisance and anti-social incidents added 130. Violence and sexual offences were 62% of the crimes.
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.
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.
Attainment 8 at the one secondary school within 3 km averages 35.4, and 29% of pupils get grade 5 or above in English and maths. Below is its only school. At the 4 primary schools within 3 km, 58% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average).
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hellingly Community Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 195 | C |
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 27% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
About 3% of its commuters stay in Hellingly for work. Each working resident is matched by 0.5 jobs in the town. 90% of commuters drove, above East Sussex’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. For 21% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
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 8% of the total, below both East Sussex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (16%). Hellingly’s listed buildings include Horselunges Manor, Grade I. For its size, Hellingly has 15 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Social housing holds a fifth of households, higher than both East Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%). Private rents average £1,262 a month across the Wealden council area. Owners make up 65% of households.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £450,000 | 93 |
| Semi-detached | £352,500 | 108 |
| Terraced | £296,500 | 29 |
| Flat or maisonette | £192,500 | 15 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
16% of residents have a disability, lower than both East Sussex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%). Self-reported good health: 86% of Hellingly’s residents. Also worth knowing: the nearest A&E to Hellingly is Eastbourne District General Hospital, 6.7 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Hellingly | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 86% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.4% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 16% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These shares come straight from the census, without allowing for age, and young towns benefit; the Health Grade instead weighs age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Half the people of Hellingly are older than 33. 13% of residents are 65 or over, below both East Sussex’s towns (22%) and England’s towns (18%). Degrees are held by 29% of adults.
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Hellingly | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 24% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 32% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 21% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 13% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.5% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 24% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 29% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Hellingly. Best known first.
CastleHerstmonceux Castle4.9 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseMichelham Priory3.2 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumFarleys Barn Gallery3.8 km outside town, to the westTheme parkTheme parkKnockhatch Adventure Park2.3 km outside town, to the southwestZooZooBede's Zoo3.5 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Town in East Sussex, England
Hellingly is a built-up area of 2,616 people, in the Wealden 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
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hellingly | 2,616 | — | D− | C− | D | B+ |
| Hailsham | 22,560 | 1.2 | D | C | C+ | C |
| Herstmonceux | 1,221 | 2.6 | — | C+ | A− | A− |
| Horam | 1,797 | 3.6 | — | C− | C+ | B+ |
| Polegate | 10,067 | 4.3 | C | C | B | C |
| Stone Cross | 5,036 | 4.8 | C | C− | B− | B |
| Westham | 1,861 | 5.1 | — | C− | B+ | B |
| Lower Willingdon | 6,126 | 5.2 | B− | C− | A− | A− |
Herstmonceux, Horam and Westham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Burglary was rare, with 2 reports in the year.
One state school is inside the town; places are handled by East Sussex council.
Band D council tax in Hellingly is £2,698 for 2026–27, more than in 95% 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.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £365,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £192,500, terraced houses £296,500, semi-detached houses £352,500 and detached houses £450,000.
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.