Welcome to Moseley!

Moseley, Birmingham is a green suburb that has retained its identity and is referred to as “Moseley Village”. Islington is often referred to as “the Moseley of the south”. It is famous for its Jazz, Folk and Arts festivals, Farmer’s markets, Tolkien, history and green spaces,

Moseley is derived from Mouse and Ley (field)

 Ley lines go through Moseley that take you through the labyrinth of life.

 Are you man or mouse?

Fighting Cocks is one of the oldest public Houses and is a listed building. The beer garden is built in the old stables that housed horses for horse drawn carriages.

At the Fighting Cocks the gamecocks would fight in the cockpit  as a betting sport.

Bear baiting was also popular. Richard Nevil, Earl of Warwick in Shakespeare’s Henry VI says ‘Now, by my fathers badge, old nevils crest the rampant bear chain’d to the ragged staff, this day I’ll aloft my burgonet. The bear and ragged staff is the symbol of Warwickshire.

Butterflys can be seen in the Nature Centre over the river Rea in Cannon Hill Park. Butterflys are also known as Flutter bys. The name is derived from the Dutch word “to excrete butter”

Do you have flowers for butterflys in your garden?

Swans can be found by lakes in Moseley Park and Pool, Highbury Park and Swanshurst Park. Hurst is german and means wood or hill.

The swans belong to the monarch.

The owl hunts the mouse at night. You will find him in the West, down Salisbury Road, where the sun sets and the moon rises. Salisbury means Willow settlement.

There are pots to be made at the Midland Arts Centre. Or you can dance, sing, visit the art gallery, theatre or cinema.

There were many mills on the river Rea, similar to Sarehole Mill on the Cole, with Edgbaston Mill originally near the MAC.

The shamrock is like the lucky four leaf clover but less lucky as it has three. If you are thirsty you are in luck, we have O’Neil’s and the Patrick Kavanagh public houses. The Pat Cav used to be called the Trafalgar and is on the corner of Trafalgar Road.  O’Neil’s is on the High Street near the entrance to Moseley Park and Pool.

You can watch cricket at Warwickshire County Cricket Club over the river Rea at Cannon Hill Park. You can play cricket at Moseley Ashfield on the Yardley Wood Road or on the brittanic pitch on Russells Road.

You can play rugby at Moseley Rugby or hockey at Kings Heath Pickwick Hockey Club at Moseley School.

The masters of Moseley Hall needed ice for their Gin and tonics so they built the ice house. Bilbo Baggins lived here.

You will find Chantry tennis club and Moseley Angling club in Moseley Park and Pool. Alternatively you can join Moseley Tennis club on Billesley Lane.

Moseley Farmer’s market sets up on the Village Green once a month. There is also an arts market. Fresh bread, olives, sausages and art.

There are also many fine speciality shops, coffee shops and delicatessens.

Fish and chips can be eaten in many of the fine restaurants of Moseley. We also do Chinese, Indian, Italian, Morrocan, Spanish and even English.

Ponte Di Legno means Wooden Bridge named after the original bridge over the railway line that burnt down and replaced in brick. Woodbridge Road should really be called Brickbrdge Road.

The North star leads you to Birmingham city centre, beware here be dragons…  The Evening Star was the last steam engine. The evening post was a paper.

Moseley village was built around Moseley Hall. This was lived in by the founders of Lloyds Bank and then by the Cadburys. Visit the Dovecote on Alcester Road and the Ice house in Moseley Park and Pool which was half of the original grounds of the hall.

 Highbury Hall was the home of Joseph Chamberlain, Prime Minister, and more importantly built the clock tower at Birmingham University which is called Big Joe.

Uffculme House is now a hospital.

The Dovecote belonged to Moseley Hall and was a bird box specifically for Doves. The Dove is the bird of peace. The french word Cote means coast, hill, chop, rib or shelter for animals.

The Dove is the bird of peace. The first dove flew from Noah’s ark and returned with a twig of olive.

Moseley Scchool is a listed building on the Wake Green Road built in 1857. It was originally called Spring Hill College.

I remember Grammar school  …chalk, gowns, the cane and cricket.

St Mary’s Church was built in 1405 and was famous for its steel bells; they are now brass. Steve rings the bells and drinks in the Prince of Wales.

St Agnes church was built in 1884 and was set in what was green fields on the outskirts of Moseley. St Annes church is on Park Hill.

Moseley is derived from Mouse and Ley (field) so mouse field. If you use starght lines then Meriden is the centre of England and the Isle of Man the centre of the British Isles. If you use Ley lines then Moseley is the centre of the universe.

Life is a journey with many twists, turns and dead ends. You may not find the centre but have fun searching.

East and underground you reach Royston Cave. South along the Ridgeway you find Avebury ring. West and down there is Rocky Vallley Cornwall. West and up the Preseli mountains at Dinas you find a cairn. North and you find Kilmartin glen and in Orkneys the Ring of Brodgar.

Have you found it?

Wheat makes bread. Everything else is a plus.

Sarehole Mill is on the banks of the river Cole which drove its water wheel. This ground the local wheat to make flour for bread.

The sun rises at Sarehole Mill in the East every morning with a Cock a doddle do.

If you are an artist it is do a cock doodle.

Moseley is famous for music with many local musicians including UB40, Duran Duran, Guillimotts, Ocean Colour Scene and Editors.

You can play golf at Moseley Golf Club on Billesely Lane or crazy golf in Cannon Hill Park. Ivan plays golf and ruins a walk…. while I just walk.

Moseley bog is a good place for a walk but rubbish for golf.

The Bull’s Head and Fighting Cocks are beautiful listed buildings and great for beer.  I also drink in the Prince of Wales with the Book Group in the back room or the beer garden. Then off to the  Pat Cav for live music and then O’Neil’s for Guiness. The Cross is smart and the Village homely. The Junction and Elizabeth of York are venues for late beer, football and food. For real ale find the Old Moseley Arms.

Tolkien lived in Moseley on the Wake Green Road. As a child he played in Sarehole Mill Park and Moseley Bog.

These inspired him to write The Lord of the Rings.

Moseley is special because it is green. Moseley in Bloom’s volunteers do their bit to brighten up our environment. You can help by caring for your garden and looking after communal green space.

The Royal Horticultural Society has awarded us “Gold”. We need to keep it beautiful and protect it for our children.