Ashdon’s story
30 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Ashdon’s built-up area.
37% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
AshdonEssex
Population 243: a village in Essex, East of England.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: R J Noble · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
243
Census 2021 · Uttlesford council
Median age
50.1
22% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
31%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Ashdon a good place to live?
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Ashdon is too small for fair grades, though the figures on this page are real. 7% of commuters get to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Its listed buildings number 30, with 0 at Grade I. 22% of residents are 65 or over.
What makes Ashdon stand out
The 3 things Ashdon does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
7% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 50.7 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
22% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ashdon.
Who lives here
Ashdon has fewer young adults than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 7.1% are 15 to 24
Degrees are held by 31% of adults. Children under 15 make up 16%, below Essex’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Over-65s are just over a fifth of the population. Half of Ashdon is older than 50.1, half younger.
50.1median age
AshdonEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
22%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications17%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar16%
Degree level31%
Women and men · all residents
56% women, 44% men
About 80 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. A large institution, such as a prison, barracks, boarding school, university or care home, can tilt a town’s split: the census counts the people living there as residents.
| Ashdon | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.1% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 22% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 8% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 31% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Ashdon is better off than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: households earn £78K a year
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 46% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
About 4% of its commuters stay in Ashdon for work. Just over a fifth of commuters travelled under 5 km to work. Unemployment benefit claims came to 1.6% of 16 to 64s in 2026, lower than both Essex’s towns (2.5%) and England’s towns (2.3%). The car carried 90% of commuters at the census.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving90%
On foot6%
Bicycle1%
22%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
46%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£78K
mean household income, before tax
1.6%
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
Fewer households own their home in Ashdon than in Essex’s towns or across England’s towns: 47%
Social renters account for nearly a quarter of households. Private rents average £1,289 a month across the Uttlesford council area. Renting privately is how 20% of households live.
£0Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Ashdon£0K
Typical UK town£277K
47%
of households own their home · England 61%
20%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,289
average private rent a month, Uttlesford council area
£2,319
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
Crime recorded by police in Ashdon
Burglary and damage came to 8.2 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Essex’s towns (10.6) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 11 crimes inside Ashdon’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. 64% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
26.1violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual7
Damage & arson2
Other theft1
Other crime1
Shoplifting0
Public order0
Burglary0
Drugs0
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.
26.1
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
8.2
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.7
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
11
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
Is Ashdon a healthy place? 88% of its people say their health is good, above Essex’s towns and England’s towns
There is no GP practice in Ashdon: the nearest is 3.4 miles off. At the census, 14% of people here had a disability, lower than both Essex’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Ashdon is Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospitals, 10.9 miles away.
88%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 88%Fair 12%Bad or very bad 0%
| Census 2021 | Ashdon | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 88% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 0% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
84.5
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.9
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Census health answers are raw, so younger towns score better on them; for the Health Grade we use age-adjusted figures like life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Ashdon is rich in listed buildings: 1,235 per 10,000 residents, more than in both Essex’s towns and England’s towns
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 37% of the total, above Essex’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (16%) alike. Of Ashdon’s land, 23% lies in conservation areas, above Essex’s towns (3%) and England’s towns (7%) alike.
30listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II30
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
37%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
1,235
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 Ashdon
12pages on Ashdon
The big questions
Ashdon’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LintonSaffron WaldenGreat ChesterfordBalshamHaverhillSteeple BumpsteadNewportAshdon
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashdon | 243 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Linton | 4,452 | 3.1 | A+ | B+ | B | A |
| Saffron Walden | 16,609 | 3.9 | A+ | A− | B | A |
| Great Chesterford | 1,775 | 4.9 | — | B | A− | A+ |
| Balsham | 1,625 | 5.1 | — | B+ | A | A+ |
| Haverhill | 26,704 | 5.4 | C− | B− | C− | C+ |
| Steeple Bumpstead | 1,376 | 5.7 | — | C | A− | A |
| Newport | 2,945 | 6.7 | A+ | B | B | A+ |
Great Chesterford, Balsham and Steeple Bumpstead have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Ashdon
How many listed buildings are there in Ashdon?
That is 50.7 times the typical UK town for its size.
How much is council tax in Ashdon?
Band D council tax in Ashdon is £2,319 for 2026–27, less than in 72% 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.
About Ashdon
Village in Essex, England
Ashdon is a built-up area of 243 people, in the Uttlesford 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
- 243 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Uttlesford
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003792
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.