It is in the civil parish of Bitton, approximately 8 miles between the centres of cities Bristol and Bath.

Oldland Common is the birthplace of the famous astronomer Sir Bernard Lovell, and is home to the Sir Bernard Lovell secondary school, a designated language college opened by Lovell himself in 1972, once attended by England cricketer Marcus Trescothick and Millwall FC manager, and former Bristol Rovers FC player, Ian Holloway.

As was common in the surrounding area, the village was involved in the coal mining industry and had its own pit on Cowhorn Hill during the 1800s.

The largest employment in the late C18 and early C19 was felt hat-making - half the working population at the time of the 1841 census.

On 30 October 2012, mobile phone operator EE launched their 4G signal for superfast internet in Bristol, meaning the village of Oldland Common is now connected to 4G.