Moseley

Moseley is a suburb of Birmingham, England, located to the south of the city centre. Some people consider it to be a lively and cosmopolitan area, and proponents claim that for many local residents it is one of the most interesting suburbs in the city.

Moseley has developed around a Victorian shopping area known as Moseley Village. Recently, Moseley has received a great deal of national, and international, interest as J. R. R. Tolkien spent many of his early years there, living close to Sarehole Mill, which many people believe was the inspiration for The Shire in The Lord of the Rings.

While the area suffered a serious decline in the last part of the 20th century, it is now improving. Moseley Village is home to a range of shops (see Moseley Traders Association) and a monthly farmers' market, organised by the Moseley Neighbourhood Forum.

Moseley has a well-defined and established community spirit and ethos [1]. The Moseley Society exists to protect the heritage of the area; meetings of the society discuss and debate a wide range of issue relating to the area and the interests of its citizens.

The Moseley Community Development Trust (CDT) is looking to invest in the social and physical capital of the area. Established with funding from charitable trust funds and with the support of the Moseley Ward Committee, the CDT is now managing a series of initiativesto improve the environment of Moseley.

Moseley is rapidly becoming a leisure-focussed suburb, home to a number of pubs, restaurants and cafés. Examples include:

• The Prince of Wales, a traditional English pub, which has survived without modernisation.

• The Cross wine bar and pavement café is a meeting place for Moseley's cosmopolitan community.

• "mac" (formerly the Midlands Arts Centre), set in Cannon Hill Park. Perched on the side of the park's main lake, mac features theatre, cinema, arts education workshops and classes, gallery space, bar and a café.