Box’s story
Box: 39% of homes built before 1919
Historic England lists 9 buildings inside Box’s built-up area.
39% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
BoxGloucestershire
A village of 307 in Gloucestershire, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Roger May · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
307
Census 2021 · Stroud council
Median home
£775K
18 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.8
31% are 65+ · Gloucestershire 20%
Degree level
60%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
18%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Box a good place to live?
Box has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
What makes Box stand out
The 3 things Box does most differently from other towns.
Median sale, £ thousands
Housing
2.8 times the typical UK town’s £277K
Standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026.
Listed buildings per 10,000 residents
History
0 Grade II*; 12 times the typical UK town for its size
Historic England’s list, October 2026.
Degree level, 16+
Education
Degree-level qualifications, residents 16+ (England’s towns 34%)
Gloucestershire 34%.
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Gatcombe Park and 9 more in and around Box
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Box. Best known first.
Historic houseGatcombe Park1.7 km outside town, to the east
Historic houseChavenage House4.7 km outside town, to the south
Historic houseWoodchester Mansion4.9 km outside town, to the west
Museum · English HeritageDunkirk Mill Museum1.2 km outside town, to the westPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustWoodchester Park3.9 km outside town, to the westPark or estatePark or estate · National TrustTinkley Gate4.1 km outside town, to the westPlaces: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Gatcombe Park: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chavenage House: Philip Halling, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Woodchester Mansion: Matthew Lister Ttamhew, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dunkirk Mill Museum: OrangeStarling1997, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Box.
Who lives here
Box is a graduates’ town: 60% hold a degree, more than in both Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns
The 65-and-over age group makes up 31% of residents. The median resident of Box is 53.8 years old. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for 10% of the town.
53.8median age
BoxGloucestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
31%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications6%
Apprenticeship3%
A levels or similar6%
Degree level60%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Box | Gloucestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 9.2% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 31% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 5.6% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 2.8% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 6.4% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 60% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gloucestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 22% in Box, fewer than in both Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 56% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The 2026 claimant rate among 16 to 64s was 0.9%. 56% of workers worked mainly from home, higher than both Gloucestershire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (31%). The average household earns £64K a year before tax.
18%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving77%
On foot14%
Bus2%
Bicycle2%
22%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
56%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£64K
mean household income, before tax
0.9%
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
Buying in Box costs more than in both Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns: the median sale is £775K
3% live in social housing, below Gloucestershire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Home ownership stands at 90% of households. Private renters make up 7% of households.
£775Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Box£775K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £900,000 | 13 |
90%
of households own their home · England 61%
7%
rent privately · England 21%
£1,041
average private rent a month, Stroud council area
£2,458
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
Violence is recorded less often in Box than in Gloucestershire’s towns or across England’s towns: 4 per 1,000 residents a year
Property crime (burglary and damage) runs at 2.7 per 1,000 residents a year. 3 crimes and 1 reports of anti-social behaviour: that is what police recorded inside Box’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026. Violence and sexual offences were 67% of the crimes.
4violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual2
Burglary1
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Other theft0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
Anti-social1
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.
4
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
2.7
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
5.4
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
3
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
Fewer people in Box live with a disability than in Gloucestershire’s towns or across England’s towns: 10%
85% of Box’s residents described their health as good or very good at the census, higher than both Gloucestershire’s towns (83%) and England’s towns (82%). The town has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1 miles away. The nearest A&E to Box is Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, 11.5 miles away.
85%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Box | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 10% | 17% | 17% |
83
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
84.3
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
Box keeps more of its old housing than Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 39% built before 1919
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Every one of Box’s 9 listed buildings sits at Grade II, the most common listing. Conservation areas cover just over two thirds of the town’s land, above both Gloucestershire’s towns (9%) and England’s towns (7%). This Gloucestershire town has 293 listed buildings for every 10,000 residents.
9listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II9
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
39%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
293
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 Box
13pages on Box
The big questions
Safety4 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £775K · rent £1,041 a monthHousing2 sold in 12 monthsSchoolsHealthLife expectancy 83 (men), 84.3 (women)Work & commute63% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Box’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
MinchinhamptonNailsworthAmberleyBrimscombe and ThruppAveningChalfordStroudBox
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Box | 307 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Minchinhampton | 3,412 | 0.8 | A− | C | B+ | A |
| Nailsworth | 5,657 | 1 | B+ | B− | C | B |
| Amberley | 1,300 | 1.1 | — | C | A+ | A |
| Brimscombe and Thrupp | 2,187 | 1.5 | — | B− | B− | A |
| Avening | 1,054 | 2.1 | — | C− | A | A |
| Chalford | 6,665 | 2.8 | A | B− | A | A |
| Stroud | 26,073 | 3.2 | B | B | D | B− |
Amberley, Brimscombe and Thrupp and Avening have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Box
Is Box expensive to live in?
Private rents in the Stroud council area averaged £1,041 a month in August 2026.
How many listed buildings are there in Box?
That is 12 times the typical UK town for its size. 39% of Box’s homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
About Box
Village in Gloucestershire, England
Box is a built-up area of 307 people, in the Stroud 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
- 307 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Stroud
- County
- Gloucestershire
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004603
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.