Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
4,237 people live in this town in East Sussex, South East.
The picture is mixed. Prices are high against local incomes (D): a typical home costs £334,000 and rent runs £1,333 a month. At C overall, Telscombe Cliffs is better than 32% of UK towns and ranks #14 of 26 in East Sussex. Schools are weaker too (D): primary results beat 27% of towns in England; secondary results beat 5% of towns in England. Its standout strength is walkability — 22% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its other grades sit near the middle: B− for safety, B− for health and B− for jobs & income.
Figures: commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · crime, police.uk, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026 · life expectancy and income, ONS · claimants, DWP.
The 3 things Telscombe Cliffs does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Telscombe Cliffs is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 1 building inside Telscombe Cliffs’s built-up area.
1% 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 Telscombe Cliffs.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Inside Telscombe Cliffs’s built-up area, Historic England lists 1 listed building, . 1% of its homes are older than 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The one school in town appears below. At the 7 primary schools within 3 km, 57% of pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one primary school teaches 521 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telscombe Cliffs AcademyLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 521 | B− |
Social housing holds 8% of households, below East Sussex’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. The median sale, £334,000, comes from 181 standard sales inside Telscombe Cliffs’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026. It is the 17th most expensive of 26 towns of 2,500+ in East Sussex.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £405,000 | 64 |
| Semi-detached | £347,500 | 48 |
| Terraced | £319,000 | 23 |
| Flat or maisonette | £212,500 | 46 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 31% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 74% of commuters, above East Sussex’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (70%) alike. Among 16 to 64s, 3.1% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026. Of the commuters living in Telscombe Cliffs, 3% work in the town itself. For every resident in work, Telscombe Cliffs has 0.3 jobs.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Residents of Telscombe Cliffs have a median age of 45.5. People aged 15 to 24 are nearly a tenth of the population. 23% of residents are 65 or over, about level with East Sussex’s towns (22%) and above England’s towns (18%). Under 15: 16% of residents.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Telscombe Cliffs | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 9.5% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 23% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Women here live to 85 on average and men to 81.5 (2019–23). There is no GP practice in Telscombe Cliffs: the nearest is 0.6 miles off. A disability affects 20% of people in the town.
| Census 2021 | Telscombe Cliffs | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.8% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 58% of recorded crime. A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 195 offences in Telscombe Cliffs and 59 cases of nuisance behaviour. There were 10.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), above both East Sussex’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Telscombe Cliffs. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustMonk's House3.9 km outside town, to the northeast
MuseumNewhaven Fort4.6 km outside town, to the eastMuseumMuseumRottingdean Museum2.4 km outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumNewhaven Local & Maritime Museum4 km outside town, to the eastWater parkWater parkSaltdean Lido1.2 km outside town, to the westAttractionAttractionSt Peter's3 km outside town, to the northeastPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telscombe Cliffs | 4,237 | — | C | D | B− | B− |
| East Saltdean | 2,892 | 0.7 | B | D− | A | B |
| Peacehaven | 15,705 | 0.8 | D | D | C+ | C |
| Newhaven | 12,857 | 2.8 | D | D | D | C |
| Lewes | 16,066 | 5.5 | C+ | D− | C− | B |
| Seaford | 23,865 | 5.5 | B− | D− | B+ | B− |
| Brighton and Hove | 277,096 | 6.3 | C− | D− | C− | C+ |
| Ringmer | 3,221 | 7.2 | B | D− | B | A− |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
One state school is inside the town; places are handled by East Sussex council.
Band D council tax in Telscombe Cliffs is £2,732 for 2026–27, more than in 97% 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.
Town in East Sussex, England
Telscombe Cliffs is a built-up area of 4,237 people, in the Lewes 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
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.