Moseley

WORCESTERSHIRE
ENGLAND


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St Mary's, the parish church

Moseley, now a middle suburb of Birmingham, into which it was incorporated in 1911, was originally a hamlet in the parish of Kings Norton, Worcestershire. This was a large parish and because of the distance involved, well over four miles as the crow flies, a chapel was established at Moseley, probably at the end of the 14th century. In 1405 permission was given for parishioners of Bromsgrove who lived near Kings Norton to attend mass at St Mary's, Moseley.

In October 1642, during the Civil War, Lord Willoughby de Parham inflicted a defeat on Prince Rupert in a battle near Moseley, and Captain Richard Greaves, of the Moseley family, commanded Parliamentarian troops during the sack of Birmingham by the King's forces in April 1643.

It was not until 1853 that Moseley became a separate ecclesiastical parish. From this time there were further changes to parish boundaries, new parishes being formed around Moseley as urban development spread outwards along the line of the Birmingham to Alcester road, through Moseley to King's Heath which had been served by the Birmingham to Gloucester railway since 1840.

Moseley station was opened in 1867, followed by the tramway in 1884, making it a fashionable area for the manufacturers, merchants and professional men of Birmingham who built many fine houses in the parish. Unfortunately the area has declined somewhat over the years, although many Victorian buildings have survived redevelopment. The current trend towards conservation will ensure the future of the more interesting ones and, indeed, many in 'the Village', as the shopping area near the church is still known to locals, have already had a facelift.

The present church comprises a chancel, nave, north aisle, transept and tower with eight bells, believed to date from 1514. The rest of the building, mainly by J.A. and P.B. Chatwin, dates from the latter part of the 19th century when major reconstruction took place.


Please check back soon for photos of St Mary's, Moseley.