Galton Village

Galton Village is a residential area of Smethwick, Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It takes its name from the iconic nearby Galton Bridge that was named after local business man Samuel Galton who land the new BCN Main Line (lower level) canal was built through, the canal runs behind Galton Village as dose the Stour Valley section of West Coast Mainline. The Oldbury Road runs through the area which begins next to Smethwick’s Galton Bridge railway station and ends at Spon Lane, next to a small shopping centre.

The estate was built originally during the 1960s, The new estate consisted of medium-rise maisonettes and flats which were made from concrete, and earned it the nickname "Concrete Jungle". The Galton Village estate was not a success, and by 1980 it was one of the grimiest and least desirable parts of the West Midlands. In the late 1980s, Sandwell MBC decided that the whole estate would be demolished. By 1995, the regeneration of Galton Village was complete. The swathe of tall flats had been cleared to make way for modern and attractive low-rise housing. Just to the south of Galton Village is West Smethwick and its park; the area sits of the border with West Bromwich to the north and Oldbury to the west. As stated above, the Oldbury Road runs through its heart; this is a collective main thoroughfare the A457 from Birmingham.