Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A village of 637 in Kent, South East. 7% of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport.
Old Wives Lees has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures on this page are still real.
The 3 things Old Wives Lees does most differently from other towns.
Historic England lists 5 buildings inside Old Wives Lees’s built-up area.
33% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Old Wives Lees.
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 37% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Household income averages £63K a year before tax. Just over nine in ten commuters drove, higher than both Kent’s towns (75%) and England’s towns (70%). In 2026, 3.7% of 16 to 64s were claiming unemployment benefits. About 4% of its commuters stay in Old Wives Lees for work.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
At the median, a home went for £450K, above Kent’s towns (£380K) and England’s towns (£308K) alike. Households that own their home make up 73%. Private rents average £1,248 a month across the Ashford council area.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £445,000 | 10 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
Violence and sexual offences made up 33% of the total. The 12 months to August 2026 brought 6 recorded crimes inside Old Wives Lees’s built-up area, and 7 reports of anti-social behaviour. There were 3.7 anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 residents (not graded), below both Kent’s towns (9.4) and England’s towns (7.8).
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.
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.
Seeing a GP means leaving Old Wives Lees: the nearest practice is 1.5 miles away. The nearest A&E to Old Wives Lees is William Harvey Hospital, 8.2 miles away. Disability touches 17% of Old Wives Lees’ population.
| Census 2021 | Old Wives Lees | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 82% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.2% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 17% | 18% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · The census answers take no account of age, so a young town looks healthier; the Health Grade relies on age-adjusted measures, life expectancy and early deaths among them.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Per 10,000 residents, Old Wives Lees counts 78 listed buildings, higher than both Kent’s towns (53) and England’s towns (39). Every one of the town’s 5 listed buildings sits at Grade II, the most common listing.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
Residents of Old Wives Lees have a median age of 48.6. The 15-to-24 age group makes up 7.4% of residents. Degrees are held by 33% of adults.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 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.
| Old Wives Lees | Kent | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.4% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 25% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.2% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 33% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Old Wives Lees. Best known first.
CastleChilham Castle1.1 km outside town, to the southwest
GardenMount Ephraim Gardens4.6 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumGodmersham Heritage Centre4 km outside town, to the southCastleCastleNorman Keep1.1 km outside town, to the southwestPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Wives Lees | 637 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chartham | 3,569 | 2.1 | C− | C− | C | B+ |
| Boughton under Blean | 2,274 | 2.7 | — | C | B | B |
| Rough Common | 1,291 | 4.3 | — | D | A− | A− |
| Challock | 1,089 | 4.7 | — | C− | A+ | B |
| Blean | 1,327 | 4.8 | — | D | A | A− |
| Canterbury | 55,107 | 5 | C− | C | D− | C |
| Wye | 2,064 | 5.2 | — | C− | B− | B |
Boughton under Blean, Rough Common, Challock, Blean and Wye have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 3.2 times the typical UK town for its size. 33% of Old Wives Lees’ homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Village in Kent, England
Old Wives Lees is a built-up area of 637 people, in the Ashford 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
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.