Elder Street’s story
8 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade II*
Historic England lists them inside Elder Street’s built-up area.
29% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Elder StreetEssex
With 541 residents, it is a village in Essex, East of England.
Population
541
Census 2021 · Uttlesford council
Median age
29.7
1% are 65+ · Essex 20%
Degree level
34%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
55%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Elder Street a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Elder Street has none; the figures on this page are still real. Just 1% of residents are 65 or older. Nearly three quarters of households are private tenants. 8 buildings are listed here, 0 at Grade I.
What makes Elder Street stand out
The 3 things Elder Street does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
Only 1% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Households renting privately
Housing
of households, against 21% across England’s towns
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
1 Grade II*, including Operations Block, Carver Barracks (Former RAF Debden); 6.1 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Elder Street.
Work & commute
55% of commuters in Elder Street go to work without a car, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
55%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 24% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
53% of commuters who live in Elder Street also work there. Driving is how 43% of commuters got to work at the census. Working mainly from home: nearly a quarter of workers, below Essex’s towns (31%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. For 64% of commuters, work was under 5 km away.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving43%
On foot36%
Bicycle15%
Train3%
Bus1%
64%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
24%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£65K
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
Elder Street is a renters’ town: 74% of households rent privately, more than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
£0Kmedian sale
Owners make up 14% of households, below both Essex’s towns (67%) and England’s towns (61%). Council and housing-body homes hold 12% of households. Private rents average £1,289 a month across the Uttlesford council area.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Elder Street£0K
Typical UK town£277K
14%
of households own their home · England 61%
74%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,289
average private rent a month, Uttlesford council area
£2,234
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
Elder Street records less burglary and damage per resident than Essex’s towns or England’s towns, at 3.7 per 1,000 a year
11.2violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Violent crime ran at 11.2 per 1,000 residents a year, below both Essex’s towns (23) and England’s towns (22). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 10 crimes inside Elder Street’s built-up area. Violence and sexual offences accounted for 20% of recorded crime.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual2
Public order2
Other theft2
Other crime2
Damage & arson1
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
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.
11.2
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
3.7
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)
10
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
Disability is less common in Elder Street, 6.5% of residents, than in Essex’s towns and England’s towns
96%good or very good health
At the census, 0.6% of residents said their health was bad or very bad, below Essex’s towns (4.8%) and England’s towns (5.2%) alike. Self-reported good health: 96% of Elder Street’s residents. Seeing a GP means leaving Elder Street: the nearest practice is 2.8 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 96%Fair 3%Bad or very bad 1%
| Census 2021 | Elder Street | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 96% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 0.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 6.5% | 17% | 17% |
83
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.1
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · A young population flatters these answers, which are not age-adjusted; the Health Grade instead uses measures that allow for age, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Elder Street keeps more of its old housing than Essex’s towns or England’s towns: 29% built before 1919
8listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Elder Street has 148 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*1
Grade II7
Among them · Grade II*
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
29%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
148
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
A younger town: only 0.9% of people in Elder Street are 65 or over, fewer than in Essex’s towns and across England’s towns
29.7median age
31% are under 15, above both Essex’s towns (18%) and England’s towns (18%). Line up the people of Elder Street by age and the one in the middle is 29.7. Graduates make up 34% of adults.
Elder StreetEssexEngland
Ages · share of residents
11%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications3%
Apprenticeship7%
A levels or similar32%
Degree level34%
Women and men · all residents
44% women, 56% men
About 78 women for every 100 men. 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.
| Elder Street | Essex | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 31% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 49% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 8.5% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 0.9% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 3.4% | 19% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.3% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 32% | 17% | 17% |
| Degree level | 34% | 27% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Essex and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Elder Street
12pages on Elder Street
The big questions
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Audley End House and 8 more in and around Elder Street
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Elder Street. Best known first.
Historic house · English HeritageAudley End House3.9 km outside town, to the northwest
CastleSaffron Walden Castle3.7 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumSaffron Walden Museum3.7 km outside town, to the northwest
Art galleryFry Art Gallery3.7 km outside town, to the northwestPark or estatePark or estate · English HeritageAudley End Estate3.9 km outside town, to the northwestHistoric siteHistoric site · English HeritageThe New Coach House4.2 km outside town, to the northwestPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Audley End House: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Saffron Walden Castle: Janine Forbes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Saffron Walden Museum: Cmglee, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fry Art Gallery: Oxyman, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
About Elder Street
Village in Essex, England
Elder Street is a built-up area of 541 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
- 541 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Uttlesford
- County
- Essex
- Region
- East of England
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²)
- ONS code
- E63003931
Elder Street’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
Saffron WaldenNewportThaxtedHenhamElsenhamGreat ChesterfordGreat BardfieldElder Street
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elder Street | 541 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Saffron Walden | 16,609 | 2.8 | A+ | A− | B | A |
| Newport | 2,945 | 3.3 | A+ | B | B | A+ |
| Thaxted | 3,111 | 3.4 | B+ | B+ | C+ | A |
| Henham | 1,046 | 4.4 | — | B− | A | A+ |
| Elsenham | 3,414 | 5.6 | A | B+ | B | A |
| Great Chesterford | 1,775 | 6.5 | — | B | A− | A+ |
| Great Bardfield | 1,372 | 7.1 | — | C | A− | A |
Henham, Great Chesterford and Great Bardfield have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Elder Street
Who lives in Elder Street?
A young village. At the 2021 Census, 31% of residents were under 15 and 49% were 25 to 44, against 18% and 27% across England’s towns; only 0.9% were 65 or over.
How many listed buildings are there in Elder Street?
That is 6.1 times the typical UK town for its size. 29% of Elder Street’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
How much is council tax in Elder Street?
Band D council tax in Elder Street is £2,234 for 2026–27, less than in 81% 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.