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| Moseley | |
|---|---|
 Moseley centre | |
  Moseley Location within theWest Midlands | |
| OS grid reference | SP077832 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Shire county | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BIRMINGHAM |
| Postcode district | B13 |
| Dialling code | 0121 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
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Moseley (/ˈmoʊzliː/MOZE-lee) is an affluent suburb of southBirmingham, England, three miles (five kilometres) south of the city centre.
It is located within the Moseley ward of the city, in the constituency ofHall Green and Moseley.Historically it lay withinWorcestershire.[1]
Moseley was listed in theDomesday Book of 1086 as Museleie.[2]
St. Mary's Church, Moseley was licensed by theBishop of Worcester (authorised byPope Innocent VII) in February 1405, and the 600th anniversary was celebrated in 2005 with a series of special events. In 2012 the church bells, which had been named as the worst sounding in the country, were replaced. Moseley itself developed around aVictorian shopping area known asMoseley Village.
Moseley Hall was rebuilt in parkland in the early 1600s, and rebuilt again by 1795 after being set on fire during rioting in 1791. It was donated in 1891 to the City of Birmingham by Richard Cadbury and now forms part of Moseley Hall Hospital.
Spring Hill College (Moseley School), aGothic revival construction built in 1857, is located in the south of the district. Former pupils include comedianJasper Carrott and musicianBev Bevan of theElectric Light Orchestra.
St Anne's Church, Moseley was opened in 1874.
Moseley was served byMoseley railway station from 1867 to 1941. It was opened by theMidland Railway on the Camp Hill line. A previously named Moseley Station on the same line changed its name toKings Heath Station upon the opening of the station.[3]
Moseley and the surrounding areas were much developed after 1910, being built upon the once extensive farm land that was predominant in this area. The new properties being mostly of large houses, designed to cater for the Edwardian middle-class families that settled in the suburbs surrounding Birmingham's industrial centre. These large houses relied upon at least one servant or "tweeny" as they were often termed, to help the lady of the house run the household. With the advent of theFirst World War, staff were hard to find to maintain houses of this size. The heating bills and high maintenance made them unpopular after the war and many were split into flats to cater for the requirements of the expanding working population who moved from the city centre as extensive redevelopment took place in the 1960s.
In some respects Moseley and the surrounding area suffered a serious decline in the last part of the 20th century. Much property fell into neglect, and problems with crime, drugs and prostitution became commonplace in the areas borderingBalsall Heath. During this same period, however, with a great deal of cheap accommodation on offer, it is arguable that Moseley also enjoyed its most creative and cosmopolitan phase as the focus of artistic and student communities. In 1970s, the small triangular shaped green in the heart of Moseley village, which was then home to the underground public toilets, was a convenient meeting place for local youth, and was known as "Bog Island".
Local bandOcean Colour Scene were active in the mid-1990s BritishBritpop–indie scene with songs such as "The Riverboat Song", inspired by locations within the suburb of Moseley. Their most successful album (in terms of weeks on chart) wasMoseley Shoals.[4] Moseley is also the birthplace ofNick Rhodes ofDuran Duran.
The politicianJoseph Chamberlain had his Birmingham residence atHighbury, on the edge of Moseley. The property was entrusted to the city after Chamberlain's death and is currently used as a conference venue and location for civil ceremonies.
J. R. R. Tolkien spent his early years in Moseley, living close toSarehole Mill inHall Green before moving to the site now occupied by Shades Music off the Alcester Road.Sarehole Mill is believed to have been his inspiration for the tranquilShire inThe Lord of the Rings. He also drew inspiration fromMoseley Bog for the landscape ofMiddle-earth.[5]
Moseley has a rich history of success inRugby Union. Its most famous team isMoseley Rugby Football Club, who were one of Europe's best teams in the late 1960s to the 1980s. Notable players includeSam Doble,J. F. Byrne,Peter Cranmer,Alain Rolland,Mike Teague andVictor Ubogu.
TheMoseley Wanderers team of 1900 won theSilver Medal in the Rugby Union competition at the 1900Olympics.
A monthly Farmers' Market in Moseley – set up by theMoseley Neighbourhood Forum – has won various awards including best FARMA Certified Urban Farmers' Market 2009 and in 2009 local farmer Dominic Butler won the Most Unique Produce award with his micro blue beetroots. Similarly, Moseley has a well defined and established community spirit and ethos, exemplified byMoseley Neighbourhood Forum – a neighbourhood forum – that works to develop the area for the betterment of everyone. The Moseley Society exists to protect the heritage of the area; meetings of the Society discuss and debate a wide range of local issues and the interests of its residents.
The Moseley Community Development Trust (CDT) invests in the social and physical capital of the area. Established with funding fromcharitable trust funds and with the support of theMoseley and Kings Heath Ward Committee, the CDT is now managing a series of initiatives to improve the environment of Moseley.[6]
It has its own monthly magazine, Moseley B13 (formerly Birmingham 13), reporting on local events and personalities. It has been printing as of May 1973[update].[7]
A group of volunteers have formed Moseley in Bloom (MiB). Much like the Moseley Community Development Trust, the group undertake many projects which look at the greener issues around Moseley. Many projects take place throughout the year to enhance the landscape of Moseley as well as renovate dilapidated areas.
Every summer Moseley hosts Moseley Festival,[8] a festival of arts and culture that sees people in the community come together and hold a series of music, art, food, cultural and sporting events.
Moseley Folk & Arts Festival[9] happens later in the year, and attracts big names from the world of folk. Moseley Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival[10] takes place in Moseley Park during the summer as well. Moseley also has its own literary festival, Pow-Wow LitFest,[11] which has taken place annually at the Prince of Wales pub as of 2011[update].
Moseley is also home to manypubs,restaurants andcafés.
In 2015 Moseley was named as the "best urban place to live" by The Sunday Times, with the newspaper citing its 'Arts and Crafts', 'Bohemian culture' and 'Victorian Architecture' as reasons to live in the suburb.[12] This award followed its being highlighted byThe Guardian in 2013 as a place to move, with similar reasons being cited.[13]
Moseley has two secondary schools,Moseley School, a language college, andQueensbridge School, anarts college. It also has several primary schools such as Moseley C of E Primary School a one form entry school that has connections with St. Mary's Church and Park Hill Primary School on Alcester Road andSt Martin de Porres Catholic Primary School.
Moseley is also home to Uffculme School, an all agespecial school for children on theautism spectrum. It is also home to James Brindley Academy's Willows Centre, which provides education to inpatients at Parkview Clinic.
Moseley also hasFox Hollies School.
Many people who have been born, lived or worked in Moseley have made important contributions, a few of the more high-profile ones are:
For conspicuous gallantry in action. He brought up machine-guns under intense fire, and organised the machine-gun section defence of each object as gained, displaying great courage and initiative. He greatly assisted our holding the position when gained
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