Olton

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Olton is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in England. It is located on the A41 between Solihull town centre and Acocks Green, and dates back more than 1,000 years.

It is a small residential suburb and was part of Warwickshire until the Local Government reforms of 1974. Many of the large houses built in St. Bernard's Road and Kineton Green Road in Victorian and Edwardian years form part of Solihull's largest conservation area.

Olton means 'old town' and is reputedly the site of Ulverley from where Solihull was founded. It expanded after the arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1852.

Politically, the Olton ward has historically leaned towards liberalism. Since 1974, the three seats on Solihull Council have been held by Liberal (later, Liberal Democrat) concillors.

The Grand Union Canal and the Leamington Spa to Birmingham railway line pass through the village. Olton railway station can probably be considered the geographical centre of the area. It is served by London Midland to Dorridge and Leamington Spa and Chiltern Railways to High Wycombe and London Marylebone.

Olton Mere occupies a large area of land between St Bernard's Road and the A41, it is the property of the British Waterways who lease it out to the Olton Mere Sailing Club. The contentious issue of public access to the banks of the Mere has not been resolved to the satisfaction of many local people. The Mere was originally built as a feeder for the Grand Union Canal.

Two golf clubs lie in the wealthy southern part of Olton, namely Robin Hood Golf Club and Olton Golf Club, as does a hockey club Olton and West Warwickshire Hockey Club.

A few hundred years ago, the mayor Olton decided to make a new settlement. He made it in the junction of two major roads, and the village has now grown into a big town. This town is called Solihull. Olton is now in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull.