Moseley is widely considered one of Birmingham’s most sought-after and affluent suburbs

Moseley is frequently ranked among the best places to live in the UK due to its bohemian charm, independent scene, and Victorian architecture.

Moseley has long been viewed as the city's most creative and trendy neighbourhood.

The south Birmingham district was even voted as the best place to live in the UK for city living by the Sunday Times in 2015. The annual Moseley Folk & Arts Festival, the weekly farmers' market, some great community pubs and independent businesses made the neighbourhood the place to be in Birmingham almost a decade ago. - but is this all still the case today?

I ventured out into the cold on Wednesday afternoon to see what local businesses in the 600-year-old suburb think about the area today, and whether it has managed to maintain its glowing reputation despite nearby neighbourhoods such as Harborne and Kings Heath becoming more and more popular with the younger generation.

Moseley has also been known as Birmingham's cosmopolitan suburb for many years, so I was eager to speak to a few businesses to see what locals think about the neighbourhood today.

Firstly, I stopped off at one of Moseley's most popular bars, The Dark Horse. The craft beer specialists on Alcester Road are one of the area's most established independents. The venue opened 10 years ago, at a time when Moseley was thriving as Birmingham's artistic hub. Jimmy, who has been working in the bar for two years, tells me that it feels like the area has seen a slight decline during the last few years.

Speaking to BirminghamWorld, Jimmy, who is 25, said: "People my age - when we talk about living in places in Birmingham - it's Moseley, Stirchley, Kings Heath, and maybe Harborne, whereas five years ago, Stirchley wasn't really in that bracket. Moseley still has real potential and holds a lot of value to the local community. We (the Dark Horse) are always busy, and it's been one of our busiest years and summers in a really long time.

"I like Moseley because people here care about the area and want to see it do well. Everyone at the Prince of Wales pub, The Fighting Cocks, and Sorrento know one another. People want each other to do well," he said. Despite the community spirit, Jimmy feels Moseley's reputation as the city's creative hotspot has certainly dwindled.

He said: "I think many of the people who helped to bring that idea of Moseley have grown up and gotten jobs or left the area. The reason that element has moved away from Moseley a bit is age. The property here is also expensive so many younger people go to Strichley."

Moseley Village, Kings Heath, and Pineapple Road are all set to get new stations, due to open in 2026."The transport here is good but after 10pm it's not great. When the station opens that will be amazing. It will be great that you'll be anywhere in the city but you'll only be five minutes away from Moseley."

So there's certainly optimism about the neighbourhood's future, but Jimmy's opinion that Moseley has lost something in recent years is echoed by other business owners and workers in the village.

Walking up Alcester Road, there does seem to be a lack of new boutiques, although there are still a lot of great cafes and restaurants. One independent business that's a little different from the rest is located a bit further up the road on St Mary's Row. The Moseley Haven is a beauty salon and spa - the only spa in the neighbourhood.

The business was founded by Alison Knowles in 2019. She tells me she thinks Moseley is still an "amazing area with a lot of character and history," but believes it lacks a bit of variety. "I feel like the neighbourhood is struggling in some ways because we're predominantly dominated by restaurants and cafes, so there's not a lot of walking trade - it would be nice to have a few more different types of shops.

"It doesn't impact us as we are appointment based, but I feel like it's a struggle for some independents as rents are very high and not having that walking trade like they do in Kings Heath. Alison says she thinks anti-social behaviour has also become a problem in Moseley.

And as shown in the recent Muddy Stilettos guide, the neighbourhood is still frequently ranked as one of Birmingham's best places to live, but many in the area feel as though the buzz that surrounded the neighbourhood a few years ago has faded away. The opening of the Moseley Village train station could well be the tonic that the area needs to reclaim its title as Birmingham's bohemian hotspot.