Clifford's Mesne’s story
Clifford's Mesne: 48% of homes built before 1919
48% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Clifford's MesneGloucestershire
The village, home to 397 people, lies in Gloucestershire, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Pauline Eccles · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
397
Census 2021 · Forest of Dean council
Median age
54.4
32% are 65+ · Gloucestershire 20%
Degree level
44%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
8%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Clifford's Mesne a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Clifford's Mesne has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 8% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. 48% of its homes date from before 1919. Over-65s are 32% of the population.
What makes Clifford's Mesne stand out
The 3 things Clifford's Mesne does most differently from other towns.
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
8% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Homes built before 1919
History
Against 15% in the typical UK town
Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
32% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Clifford's Mesne.
Who lives here
An older town: 32% of people in Clifford's Mesne are 65 or over, more than in Gloucestershire’s towns and across England’s towns
54.4median age
Young adults of 15 to 24 are 8.9% of residents, below both Gloucestershire’s towns (11%) and England’s towns (12%). Under 15: 13% of residents. Clifford's Mesne has a median age of 54.4. Graduates make up 44% of adults.
Clifford's MesneGloucestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
32%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications12%
Apprenticeship4%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level44%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
About 84 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.
| Clifford's Mesne | Gloucestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 8.9% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.9% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 44% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gloucestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Work & commute
Fewer commuters in Clifford's Mesne work nearby than in Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 14% travel under 5 km
8%walk, cycle or ride
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 44% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
The car took 88% of commuters, higher than both Gloucestershire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). 44% of workers did their job mainly from home at the census. Among 16 to 64s, 1.1% claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving88%
On foot5%
Bicycle3%
14%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
44%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£56K
mean household income, before tax
1.1%
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
More households own their home in Clifford's Mesne than in Gloucestershire’s towns or across England’s towns: 83%
£0Kmedian sale
Private rents average £828 a month across the Forest of Dean council area. 17% of households rent privately. That is the middle of 9 standard sales inside Clifford's Mesne’s built-up area over three years, against £277,000 in the typical UK town.
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Clifford's Mesne£0K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £450,000 | 9 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
17%
rent privately · England 21%
£828
average private rent a month, Forest of Dean council area
£2,532
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
Clifford's Mesne records less burglary and damage per resident than Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns, at 1 per 1,000 a year
12.3violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Violence came to 12.3 per 1,000 residents a year, lower than both Gloucestershire’s towns (22.9) and England’s towns (22). In the 12 months to August 2026, police logged 2 crimes inside Clifford's Mesne’s built-up area. 100% of the crimes fell under violence and sexual offences.
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual2
Shoplifting0
Damage & arson0
Public order0
Other theft0
Burglary0
Drugs0
Vehicle crime0
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.
12.3
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
1
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
0
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
2
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 Clifford's Mesne a healthy place? 85% of its people say their health is good, above Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns
85%good or very good health
15% of residents have a disability, lower than both Gloucestershire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4% of the town. Seeing a GP means leaving Clifford's Mesne: the nearest practice is 2 miles away.
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 85%Fair 11%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Clifford's Mesne | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 17% | 17% |
79.9
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85
life expectancy at birth, women
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
History
Clifford's Mesne keeps more of its old housing than Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 48% built before 1919
0listed buildings
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Historic England’s list has no building inside Clifford's Mesne’s built-up area.
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
48%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
0
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 Clifford's Mesne
12pages on Clifford's Mesne
The big questions
About Clifford's Mesne
Village in Gloucestershire, England
Clifford's Mesne is a built-up area of 397 people, in the Forest of Dean 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
- 397 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Forest of Dean
- County
- Gloucestershire
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004142
Clifford's Mesne’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
NewentHuntleyMitcheldeanDrybrookMoor EndHighnamRuardeanClifford's Mesne
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clifford's Mesne | 397 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Newent | 5,360 | 1.9 | C | B | C− | B |
| Huntley | 1,152 | 2.7 | — | C+ | A | B+ |
| Mitcheldean | 2,163 | 3.8 | — | B+ | C+ | C |
| Drybrook | 2,572 | 5.2 | C | B | C+ | C+ |
| Moor End | 1,168 | 5.3 | — | A− | A | B+ |
| Highnam | 1,920 | 6.1 | — | B− | A− | B+ |
| Ruardean | 1,195 | 6.2 | — | A− | B+ | C+ |
Huntley, Mitcheldean, Moor End, Highnam and Ruardean have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Clifford's Mesne
How much is council tax in Clifford's Mesne?
Band D council tax in Clifford's Mesne is £2,532 for 2026–27, more 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.
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.