Estate & Letting Agents In Olton

Olton is a suburb of Solihull in the West Midlands, sitting on the A41 Warwick Road around four miles from Solihull town centre and just under six miles from Birmingham city centre. The area was recorded in 1086 as the manor of Ulverlei, and its present name comes from a later Old English term for old town, coined to set it apart from the newer settlement being built at Solihull. Development picked up sharply once Olton railway station opened, and much of what stands today, particularly the housing along St Bernard’s Road, Grange Road and Kineton Green Road, dates from the Victorian and Edwardian building boom that followed.

Much of central Olton falls within one of Solihull’s conservation areas, protecting the large, tree lined avenues of detached and semi-detached houses that give the suburb its settled, established feel. Compared with the terraced streets of neighbouring Acocks Green or the newer housing further out, Olton reads as an older, more established part of Solihull, built up gradually rather than in a single development phase. That range of building eras carries through to the people who live here too, with plenty of long term homeowning families alongside younger buyers drawn by the train station.

As you’d expect from a suburb sitting on one of Solihull’s main roads, Olton has plenty of transport options for a fairly compact area.

• Car & Road: Olton sits on the A41 Warwick Road, which runs directly between Birmingham city centre and Solihull town centre. The M42 is close by too, reached at Junction 5 just south of Solihull, putting the wider motorway network, including the M6 and M40, within a short drive.
• Bus: The number 4 bus, run by National Express West Midlands, follows the A41 through Olton on its way between Birmingham city centre and Solihull town centre, calling roughly every 10 minutes on weekdays and somewhat less often at weekends and in the evenings.
• Train: Olton railway station sits just off Warwick Road and puts Birmingham Moor Street around 10 minutes away, with off peak trains running three times an hour towards Birmingham Snow Hill and on to Stourbridge Junction, Kidderminster or Worcester Foregate Street. Trains in the other direction head to Dorridge, with a service continuing on to Stratford upon Avon.

Property styles in Olton: The Olton property market is known for its Victorian and Edwardian houses, many of them large detached and semi-detached properties built during the development boom that followed the arrival of the railway. Away from the conservation areas, you’ll also find inter-war semis, bay fronted terraces and a smaller number of purpose built flats and conversions, particularly around Warwick Road and Olton Court.

The best regarded streets for period property: these sit around St Bernard’s Road, Grange Road and Kineton Green Road, where large detached and semi-detached houses on generous plots command the highest prices in the suburb. Streets closer to Warwick Road and the train station tend to offer a smaller range of terraced houses and flats, generally at a lower price point and popular with first time buyers and tenants.

Development in Olton: Olton is a largely built out suburb, so planning activity here tends to be small in scale, made up mostly of extensions, loft conversions and the occasional replacement dwelling rather than new build schemes.

Day to day life in Olton centres on Warwick Road, where independent shops sit alongside a handful of well established local businesses, all within walking distance of the train station.

Shopping: Warwick Road carries most of Olton’s everyday shopping, including Olton Public Library (169 Warwick Road, B92 7AR) and The Olton Pharmacy (157 Warwick Road, B92 7AR), alongside a run of independent shops and services. For a bigger weekly shop, a Tesco Express sits close by at Hobs Moat, with larger supermarkets including Tesco Extra and Sainsbury’s a short drive away in Solihull town centre.

Eating & Drinking: The Olton Tavern on Lode Lane is the suburb’s long standing pub, while Platform Three on Warwick Road serves food close to the station. Olton Fish Bar, also on Warwick Road, has been a fixture for local takeaway food for years, and the Olton Bar & Grill at West Warwickshire Sports Club offers food and a bar to members and guests.

Olton’s places of interest lean towards genuine local history rather than tourist attractions, from a medieval moated site to a Victorian parish church.

• Hobs Moat: A scheduled ancient monument dating from the 12th century, this moated earthwork site was once the fortified home of the Odingsells family. It’s now a Local Nature Reserve, open to the public and a rare surviving example of a medieval moated homestead in an urban setting.
• Olton Reservoir: Also known as Olton Mere, this large stretch of water was built in 1799 to feed the Grand Union Canal and extended in 1834. Read more about its history on Solihull Council’s local history pages. The water itself remains private, home to Olton Mere Sailing Club, but a path around the perimeter offers views over what’s still the largest area of open water in Solihull.
• Olton Friary: Built in 1873 as a diocesan seminary and later home to the Capuchin Friars, this Grade II listed building on St Bernard’s Road is one of Olton’s most striking pieces of Victorian architecture.