The Friary, St. Bernards Road, Solihull

Olton Friary is a Gothic-style, three-storey former seminary college dating from 1873, set within mature grounds overlooking extensive gardens.

Known as The Friary, it is Grade II listed due to both its architectural significance and its historical importance, having been built by the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Internally, the ground floor currently accommodates parish offices and meeting rooms, while the upper floors provide residential accommodation consisting of 20 single bedrooms with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. A former chapel on the first floor, later converted into a library, is now disused.

The Friary is physically linked to the adjacent church via a single storey
Parish Hall, a later addition designed to improve connectivity, though it is also included within the listing. The site benefits from substantial external space, including dual-access car parking areas to the north and south, with an additional overflow car park along the northern boundary.

Olton Friary is situated in a well established residential area of Solihull, approximately 2.5 miles north west of Solihull town centre and approximately 7.5 miles south east of Birmingham city centre. The
property is bound by St. Bernards Road to the west and Monastery Drive to the south. The northern and eastern boundary of the property are bound by Saint Bernards Road Park.

The property benefits from strong connectivity, being close to the A41 Warwick Road, which provides direct access to the M42 motorway and Birmingham Airport. Olton Railway Station is situated approximately 0.9 miles north, offering regular services to Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill Railway Stations. Birmingham New Street Railway Station, located approximately 6.5 miles to the north east, is the busiest railway station outside London and serves as the national hub of the Cross Country network as well as being a major destination on the West Coast Mainline.