Wivelsfield’s story
4 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Wivelsfield’s built-up area.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WivelsfieldEast Sussex
363 residents make their home in this village in East Sussex, South East.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Nigel Freeman · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
363
Census 2021 · Lewes council
Median home
£530K
17 sales in 3 years
Median age
41.2
15% are 65+ · East Sussex 22%
Degree level
32%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
14%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Wivelsfield a good place to live?
Wivelsfield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real. 4 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 14% of commuters. The median sale price is £530,000.
What makes Wivelsfield stand out
The 3 things Wivelsfield does most differently from other towns.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 4.5 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
14% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
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 Wivelsfield.
Work & commute
The car carries 83% of commuters in Wivelsfield, more than in both East Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
14%walk, cycle or ride
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 just over two in five commuters, work was under 5 km away. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.4% of 16 to 64s in 2026, below East Sussex’s towns (2.7%) and England’s towns (2.3%) alike. A household here earns £69K a year before tax, on average.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving83%
Bus6%
On foot5%
Bicycle2%
Train1%
42%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
42%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£69K
mean household income, before tax
1.4%
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 Wivelsfield: 7%, fewer than in both East Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
£530Kmedian sale
The social rented sector houses just over a quarter of households. Private rents average £1,333 a month across the Lewes council area. Also worth knowing: 64% of households own their home, near East Sussex’s towns (62%) and higher than England’s towns (61%).
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Wivelsfield£530K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £770,500 | 6 |
| Semi-detached | £530,000 | 5 |
| Terraced | £352,500 | 6 |
64%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,333
average private rent a month, Lewes council area
£2,723
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
Homes in Wivelsfield see less burglary and damage than in East Sussex’s towns or England’s towns: 0.9 per 1,000 a year
8.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Police recorded 15 crimes inside Wivelsfield’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 4 reports of anti-social behaviour. Violent crime ran at 8.3 per 1,000 residents a year, below both East Sussex’s towns (17.9) and England’s towns (22). 40% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual6
Other theft4
Public order2
Shoplifting1
Robbery1
Other crime1
Damage & arson0
Burglary0
Anti-social4
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.
8.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0.9
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.3
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
15
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
Most people in Wivelsfield (82%) report good or very good health
82%good or very good health
There is no GP practice in Wivelsfield: the nearest is 1.8 miles off. 17% of residents have a disability, below East Sussex’s towns (20%) and close to England’s towns (17%).
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 82%Fair 13%Bad or very bad 5%
| Census 2021 | Wivelsfield | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 82% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5% | 5.6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 20% | 17% |
83.2
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
86.6
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Self-reported health favours young towns, since these answers ignore age; the Health Grade leans on age-adjusted measures such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Wivelsfield is rich in listed buildings: 110 per 10,000 residents, more than in both East Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
4listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
12% of its homes were built before 1919, below both East Sussex’s towns (20%) and England’s towns (16%).
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II4
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
12%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
110
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
Children make up 19% of Wivelsfield, above East Sussex’s towns and England’s towns
41.2median age
People 65 and over make up 15% of the town. Half the people of Wivelsfield are older than 41.2. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 15% of the town. Nearly a third of adults hold a degree, below East Sussex’s towns (36%) and close to England’s towns (34%).
WivelsfieldEast SussexEngland
Ages · share of residents
15%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications15%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar19%
Degree level32%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Wivelsfield | East Sussex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 27% | 25% |
| 65+ | 15% | 22% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 15% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 4.9% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 19% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 32% | 36% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · East Sussex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wivelsfield
12pages on Wivelsfield
The big questions
Safety8.3 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £530K · rent £1,333 a monthHousing7 sold in 12 months · busiest street Eastern RoadSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83.2 (men), 86.6 (women)Work & commute56% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
About Wivelsfield
Village in East Sussex, England
Wivelsfield is a built-up area of 363 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
- Population
- 363 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Lewes
- County
- East Sussex
- Region
- South East
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63006259
Wivelsfield’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Wivelsfield GreenBurgess HillHaywards HeathPlumpton GreenDitchlingNorth ChaileyCuckfieldWivelsfield
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wivelsfield | 363 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wivelsfield Green | 1,012 | 0.7 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Burgess Hill | 33,352 | 2 | A | B | C+ | B+ |
| Haywards Heath | 40,186 | 2.3 | A+ | B | B | A− |
| Plumpton Green | 1,060 | 2.5 | — | D− | A+ | A+ |
| Ditchling | 1,123 | 3.3 | — | D− | A− | A+ |
| North Chailey | 1,008 | 3.3 | — | D− | A− | A |
| Cuckfield | 3,767 | 3.8 | A+ | C | B+ | A |
Wivelsfield Green, Plumpton Green, Ditchling and North Chailey have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Wivelsfield
How many listed buildings are there in Wivelsfield?
That is 4.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Wivelsfield?
Band D council tax in Wivelsfield is £2,723 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.
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.