Woolaston’s story
3 listed buildings
Historic England lists them inside Woolaston’s built-up area.
40% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
WoolastonGloucestershire
Home to 830 people, this village lies in Gloucestershire, South West.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Jonathan Billinger · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
830
Census 2021 · Forest of Dean council
Median home
£350K
33 sales in 3 years
Median age
53.2
32% are 65+ · Gloucestershire 20%
Degree level
35%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
7%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Woolaston a good place to live?
Grades need 1,000 residents, so Woolaston has none; the figures on this page are still real. On the way to work, 7% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Pre-1919 homes make up 40% of the housing. People aged 65 and over make up 32% of residents.
What makes Woolaston stand out
The 3 things Woolaston 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%)
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 Woolaston.
Who lives here
Woolaston has fewer young adults than Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 7.6% are 15 to 24
Woolaston has a median age of 53.2 years. Degrees are held by 35% of adults.
53.2median age
WoolastonGloucestershireEngland
Ages · share of residents
32%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications18%
Apprenticeship5%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level35%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Woolaston | Gloucestershire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.6% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 26% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 32% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 15% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.2% | 5.8% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 35% | 34% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Gloucestershire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Woolaston
Key Stage 2 results at the 2 primary schools within 3 km: 56% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Below is its only school. Its one primary school teaches 113 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woolaston Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 113 | C− |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Work tends to be further away for Woolaston: 24% commute under 5 km, below Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 38% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Jobs per working resident: 0.4. The car took just over nine in ten commuters, above both Gloucestershire’s towns (78%) and England’s towns (70%). 0.9% of 16 to 64s claimed unemployment benefits in 2026.
7%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving91%
On foot6%
24%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
38%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£60K
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
Few households rent privately in Woolaston: 8%, fewer than in Gloucestershire’s towns and England’s towns
Nearly four in five households own their home. Social housing holds just over one in ten households, below Gloucestershire’s towns (13%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. Half of the 33 standard sales inside Woolaston’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 went for more than £350,000.
£350Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Woolaston£350K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £430,000 | 25 |
| Semi-detached | £307,500 | 5 |
79%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£828
average private rent a month, Forest of Dean council area
£2,378
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 Woolaston see less burglary and damage than in Gloucestershire’s towns or England’s towns: 6.5 per 1,000 a year
A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 10 offences in Woolaston and 2 cases of nuisance behaviour. Of all the crimes, 20% were violence and sexual offences.
21.8violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual2
Other theft2
Public order1
Burglary1
Vehicle crime1
Robbery1
Theft from person1
Other crime1
Anti-social2
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.
21.8
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.5
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
6.5
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
Fewer people in Woolaston say their health is good than in Gloucestershire’s towns or across England’s towns: 79%
Woolaston has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 3.2 miles away. At the census, 6.3% of people here described their health as bad or very bad. Nearly a fifth of residents have a disability, above both Gloucestershire’s towns (17%) and England’s towns (17%). The nearest A&E to Woolaston is Southmead Hospital, 14.2 miles away.
79%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 79%Fair 15%Bad or very bad 6%
| Census 2021 | Woolaston | Gloucestershire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 79% | 83% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.3% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
80.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
85.3
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
All 3 of Woolaston’s listed buildings are Grade II
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Woolaston has 3 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list, all Grade II.
3listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II3
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
40%
of homes built before 1919 · typical UK town 15%
36
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 Woolaston
13pages on Woolaston
The big questions
Safety21.8 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £350K · rent £828 a monthHousing11 sold in 12 months · busiest street Birchwood RoadSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 80.3 (men), 85.3 (women)Work & commute57% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Woolaston’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
LydneyBreamYorkley and WhitecroftTutshill and SedburySharpnessBerkeleyChepstowWoolaston
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolaston | 830 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lydney | 9,655 | 3.3 | C | B | C | C+ |
| Bream | 3,117 | 3.4 | C | B+ | C+ | B− |
| Yorkley and Whitecroft | 2,678 | 4.6 | C+ | B− | B+ | B |
| Tutshill and Sedbury | 3,618 | 5 | B | B− | B− | B+ |
| Sharpness | 1,237 | 5.2 | — | A− | C− | C+ |
| Berkeley | 2,250 | 5.7 | — | B | C+ | B− |
| Chepstow | 11,939 | 5.9 | C− | C− | C− | C+ |
Sharpness and Berkeley have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Woolaston
How many listed buildings are there in Woolaston?
3 on Historic England’s list. That is 1.5 times the typical UK town for its size.
Is Woolaston expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £350,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £307,500 and detached houses £430,000. Private rents in the Forest of Dean council area averaged £828 a month in August 2026.
About Woolaston
Village in Gloucestershire, England
Woolaston is a built-up area of 830 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
- 830 (Census 2021)
- Council
- Forest of Dean
- County
- Gloucestershire
- Region
- South West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km²)
- ONS code
- E63004591
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.