Mere Brow’s story
No listed buildings inside Mere Brow’s built-up area
18% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →
Mere BrowLancashire
A village in Lancashire, North West, home to 279 people. 48% of households own their home with no mortgage.
7 places within 12 milesMap →
Photo: Small-town hero · Public domain
Population
279
Census 2021 · West Lancashire council
Median home
£300K
15 sales in 3 years
Median age
56.1
35% are 65+ · Lancashire 20%
Degree level
28%
of residents 16+ · England 34%
Walk, cycle, bus
15%
of commuters · England 27%
Is Mere Brow a good place to live?
There are no grades for Mere Brow: with fewer than 1,000 residents, they wouldn’t be fair. The figures on this page are still real. Over-65s are 35% of the population. Walking, cycling and public transport carry 15% of commuters.
What makes Mere Brow stand out
The 3 things Mere Brow does most differently from other towns.
Residents 65 and over
Who lives here
35% are 65 or over
Against 18% across England’s towns
Walk, cycle or public transport
Getting around
15% leave the car
of commuters walk, cycle or take public transport (England’s towns 27%)
Own outright
Housing
48% own outright
of households own their home with no mortgage (England’s towns 32%)
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Mere Brow.
Who lives here
Children make up only 9.7% of Mere Brow, fewer than in Lancashire’s towns and England’s towns
People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.9% of the town, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (12%) and England’s towns (12%). 35% of residents are 65 or over. The middle age in Mere Brow is 56.1. Among adults, 28% have a degree.
56.1median age
Mere BrowLancashireEngland
Ages · share of residents
35%
Qualifications · residents 16 and older
No qualifications26%
Apprenticeship8%
A levels or similar17%
Degree level28%
Women and men · all residents
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.
| Mere Brow | Lancashire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 9.7% | 17% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 12% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 35% | 20% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 26% | 20% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 7.6% | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 28% | 29% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Lancashire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Schools
The schools around Mere Brow
Below is its only school. Key Stage 2 results at the 5 primary schools within 3 km: 52% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (three-year average). Its one primary school teaches 69 pupils.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarleton Mere Brow Church of England Primary SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 69 | C |
Department for Education · GIAS, Key Stage 2 and GCSE resultsThe Schools page →
Work & commute
Under 5 km to work: 21% in Mere Brow, fewer than in Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 34% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Households had £44K a year before tax, lower than both Lancashire’s towns (£48K) and England’s towns (£55K). 83% of commuters drove to work at the census. There are 1.7 jobs in Mere Brow for each resident in work.
15%walk, cycle or ride
How commuters got to work · March 2021
Driving83%
On foot14%
Bicycle1%
21%
of commuters travel under 5 km · England 45%
34%
worked mainly from home in March 2021
£44K
mean household income, before tax
2.4%
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
Private renting is less common in Mere Brow than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 8%
83% of households own their home, above both Lancashire’s towns (65%) and England’s towns (61%). Social renters account for one in ten households. 15 standard sales inside Mere Brow’s built-up area from September 2023 to August 2026 put the median at £300,000.
£300Kmedian sale
Median sale price · Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
Mere Brow£300K
Typical UK town£277K
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £342,500 | 10 |
| Semi-detached | £200,000 | 5 |
83%
of households own their home · England 61%
8%
rent privately · England 21%
£805
average private rent a month, West Lancashire council area
£2,472
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
Mere Brow records more violent crime per resident than Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns, at 70.5 per 1,000 a year
Violence and sexual offences were 56% of the crimes. Homes saw 20.3 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, above both Lancashire’s towns (9.8) and England’s towns (9.4). A year of reports to August 2026 adds up to 32 offences in Mere Brow and 9 cases of nuisance behaviour.
70.5violent and sexual offences per 1,000 a year
Reports by type · Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
Violence & sexual18
Public order3
Burglary3
Damage & arson2
Other theft2
Vehicle crime2
Weapons1
Robbery1
Anti-social9
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.
70.5
violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
20.3
burglary, vehicle crime and damage per 1,000 a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026
33.5
anti-social behaviour reports per 1,000 (not graded)
32
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 more common in Mere Brow than in Lancashire’s towns or across England’s towns: 23% of residents
Poor health, by residents’ own account, affects 4.3% of the town. Seeing a GP means leaving Mere Brow: the nearest practice is 2.3 miles away. The nearest A&E to Mere Brow is Southport and Formby District General Hospital, 4.4 miles away.
80%good or very good health
General health, self-reported
Good or very good 80%Fair 16%Bad or very bad 4%
| Census 2021 | Mere Brow | Lancashire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.3% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 23% | 20% | 17% |
78.3
life expectancy at birth, men (2019–23)
82.9
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
More of the land in Mere Brow is conservation area than in Lancashire’s towns or England’s towns: 100%
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
18% of its homes were built before 1919, between Lancashire’s towns (23%) and England’s towns (16%). Historic England’s list has no building inside Mere Brow’s built-up area.
0listed buildings
Listed buildings by grade · Historic England
Grade I0
Grade II*0
Grade II0
0
scheduled monuments
0
registered parks and gardens
18%
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
Nearby attractions
All attractions →Rufford Old Hall and 4 more in and around Mere Brow
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Mere Brow. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustRufford Old Hall4.8 km outside town, to the southeast
MuseumSouthport Botanic Gardens3.3 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseMeols Hall3.7 km outside town, to the westZooZooWindmill Animal Farm2.9 km outside town, to the southZooZooBotanic Gardens Aviary3.4 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 (3)
- Rufford Old Hall: Doug Elliot, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Southport Botanic Gardens: Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Meols Hall: Small-town hero, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Mere Brow
13pages on Mere Brow
The big questions
Safety70.5 violent and sexual offences per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026Cost of livingMedian home £300K · rent £805 a monthHousing3 sold in 12 months · busiest street Mere Brow LaneSchools1 state schoolHealthLife expectancy 78.3 (men), 82.9 (women)Work & commute50% of working residents work in the townFlood & hazards0.6% of homes at high or medium flood risk
Mere Brow’s neighbours
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
BanksTarleton and Hesketh BankRuffordCrostonBurscoughSouthportWymottMere Brow
How the neighbours grade
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mere Brow | 279 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Banks | 4,439 | 1.8 | C | B | B+ | C |
| Tarleton and Hesketh Bank | 8,756 | 2.9 | B+ | C+ | A− | B+ |
| Rufford | 1,562 | 3.2 | — | C | A | C+ |
| Croston | 2,793 | 4.3 | A− | B+ | B | C+ |
| Burscough | 8,773 | 4.6 | B− | B− | B− | C |
| Southport | 94,438 | 4.9 | C− | C− | C | C− |
| Wymott | 2,092 | 5.5 | — | A− | B | C− |
Rufford and Wymott have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Questions about Mere Brow
How much is council tax in Mere Brow?
Band D council tax in Mere Brow is £2,472 for 2026–27, more than in 57% 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.
Is Mere Brow expensive to live in?
Close to the typical UK town: the median sale over three years was £300,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: semi-detached houses £200,000 and detached houses £342,500. Private rents in the West Lancashire council area averaged £805 a month in August 2026.
About Mere Brow
Village in Lancashire, England
Mere Brow is a built-up area of 279 people, in the West Lancashire 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
- 279 (Census 2021)
- Council
- West Lancashire
- County
- Lancashire
- Region
- North West
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km²)
- ONS code
- E63000989
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.