Sutton Coldfield

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Sutton Coldfield is a part of the City of Birmingham, England. Until 1974 Sutton Coldfield was a borough in its own right and a part of Warwickshire, enjoying the title of "Royal Town".

Sutton (as it is often called) has a population of about 105,452, and forms the Parliamentary constituency of Sutton Coldfield. The Member of Parliament since 2001 is Andrew Mitchell (Conservative). It comprises the wards of Sutton Four Oaks, Sutton Trinity, Sutton Vesey and Sutton New Hall. Sutton Trinity ward was created in June 2004, at which time the other three wards' boundaries were changed. From 5 April 2004, it has been a formal district, with many local services managed by a district committee made up of all Sutton's councillors.

The town features two of the foremost Residential Estates in the Midlands, Little Aston Park and the Four Oaks Estate, both home to the area's multi-million pound houses. The area in general is regarded as one of the most prestigious locations in the West Midlands and Central England.

Linked by regular and fast services from Sutton Coldfield railway station on the Cross-City Line to the centre of Birmingham, Sutton is mostly a commuter dormitory town for people who work in Birmingham.

In 1528, a charter of King Henry VIII gave the town the right to be known for ever as "The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield" and to be governed by a warden and society. This unreformed corporation survived until 1885, when it was replaced by a municipal borough. Although the title "Royal Town" was still used, the municipality created in 1885 was not itself a Royal Borough. The town and borough formed part of Warwickshire until 1974. The formal Mayoral chains of office are now on display in Birmingham Council House.

1 Places of interest
2 Transport
3 Famous residents
4 External links

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Places of interest

The area is home to Sutton Park, which is the largest urban park in Europe, Sutton Coldfield Town F.C. and the Sutton Coldfield television transmitter, which was the first television transmitter outside London. Just outside Sutton Coldfield is The Belfry, a hotel with a renowned golf complex whose Brabazon course has hosted the Ryder Cup several times.

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Transport

The Roman road Icknield Street crosses Sutton Park to the west of the town. Nowadays, the town is bypassed to the north by the M6 Toll, the first toll motorway in the UK. The A38 used to run through the centre of the town but now uses the bypass to the east. The former route of the A38 is now the A5127.

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Famous residents

A number of celebrities originate from Sutton including Cat Deeley (T.V. presenter),Hazel Court (actress), Mike Skinner aka The Streets (musician), Rob Halford (lead singer of Judas Priest), Dorian Yates (6 times Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding World Champion), Colin Charvis (Welsh international rugby player), Jane Sixsmith (England Hockey Player) and James and Oliver Phelps, who play the Weasley twins in the Harry Potter series of films.