Magham Down’s story
1 listed building
Historic England lists them inside Magham Down’s built-up area.
10% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Magham DownEast Sussex
A village in East Sussex, South East, home to 276 people.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Hassocks5489 · CC0
Population
276
Census 2021 · Wealden council
Median age
59.1
37% are 65+ · East Sussex 22%
Degree level
35%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Magham Down a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Magham Down is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 8% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport. People aged 65 and over make up 37% of residents. Mortgage-free owners make up three in five households.
What makes Magham Down stand out
The 3 things Magham Down 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%)
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
37% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Own outright
Housing
60% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Magham Down.
Who lives here
Children make up only 11% of Magham Down, fewer than in East Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
At 59.1, the median resident of Magham Down sits in the middle of the age range. 5.5% of residents are 15 to 24, lower than both East Sussex’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). Among adults, 35% have a degree.
59.1median age
Magham DownEast SussexEngland
Ages · share of residents
37%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications14%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar15%
Degree level35%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About 104 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Magham Down | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 11% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 5.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 37% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.3% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
More commuters in Magham Down drive than in East Sussex’s towns or England’s towns: 91%
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 42% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
For every resident in work, Magham Down has 0.6 jobs. Short trips to work, under 5 km: 28%, below East Sussex’s towns (53%) and England’s towns (45%) alike. Working from home was the norm for just over two in five workers at the census.
8%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot7%
Bicycle1%
28%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
42%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£49K
mean household income, before tax
3%
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
Housing
Few households rent privately in Magham Down: 11%, fewer than in East Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
Owners make up 87% of households. 1% live in social housing, below East Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Private rents average £1,262 a month across the Wealden council area.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Magham Down£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £570,000 | 7 |
87%
of households own their home · England 61%
11%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,262
average private rent a month, Wealden council area
£2,799
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
Burglary and damage are rarer in Magham Down than in East Sussex’s towns or across England’s towns: 3.6 per 1,000 residents a year
Each year, 12.1 violent crimes are recorded per 1,000 residents. Over the year to August 2026, 9 offences were reported in Magham Down. There were 1.2 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both East Sussex’s towns (9.5) and England’s towns (7.8). Violence and sexual offences were 78% of the crimes.
12.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Damage & arson1
Other theft1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social0
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.
12.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.6
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1.2
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
9
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 less common in Magham Down than in East Sussex’s towns or across England’s towns: 2.2% of residents
The nearest A&E to Magham Down is Eastbourne District General Hospital, 6.6 miles away. 14% of residents have a disability, below East Sussex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (17%) alike. Self-reported good health: 85% of the town’s residents. Seeing a GP means leaving Magham Down: the nearest practice is 1 miles away.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 2%
| Census 2021 | Magham Down | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 2.2% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 20% | 17% |
79.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
83.2
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
Magham Down’s one listed building is Grade II
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 a tenth of the total. For its size, Magham Down has 36 listed buildings per 10,000 residents.
1listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II1
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
10%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
36
listed buildings per 10,000 residents · typical UK town 24
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Magham Down
12pages on Magham Down
The big questions
Magham Down’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
HellinglyHailshamHerstmonceuxHoramPolegateStone CrossWesthamMagham Down
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magham Down | 276 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hellingly | 2,616 | 1 | D− | C− | D | B+ |
| Hailsham | 22,560 | 1.6 | D | C | C+ | C |
| Herstmonceux | 1,221 | 1.7 | — | C+ | A− | A− |
| Horam | 1,797 | 4 | — | C− | C+ | B+ |
| Polegate | 10,067 | 4.4 | C | C | B | C |
| Stone Cross | 5,036 | 4.5 | C | C− | B− | B |
| Westham | 1,861 | 4.6 | — | C− | B+ | B |
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.
Questions about Magham Down
How much is council tax in Magham Down?
Band D council tax in Magham Down is £2,799 for 2026–27, more than in 99% 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.
How many listed buildings are there in Magham Down?
1 on Historic England’s list. That is 1.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
About Magham Down
Village in East Sussex, England
Magham Down is a built-up area of 276 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
- Population
- 276 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Wealden
- County
- East Sussex
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006434
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.