EDITOR’S CHOICE

EDITOR'S CHOICE ONE WALK A DAY:

OXFORD ROAD

Being restricted to one walk a day does create a greater appreciation for time spent strolling around Moseley. It can also bring a different perspective with the slower pace of lockdown life, and previously unseen details suddenly become apparent on our quiet streets. The only concern is what route to take on that treasured walk...? I've selected Oxford Road as a location brimming with history, oddities and curious tales. Starting at St Mary's Row and heading onto Oxford Road, you can't miss the Calvary Church of God in Christ on the right. Dating to 1888, the former Baptist church was built to a design originally intended for St Agnes Church (source: Moseley Society). Have you ever noticed the stained glass windows when illuminated by light? The details come to life and are breathtakingly beautiful. Another memory of the church is when I spotted the Moseley Owl (you've heard the Moseley Owl at night, haven't you? Saying that, he/she doesn't seem to have been around much in recent times) hooting on its roof at midnight. It did seem a little bit ominous at the time...! On the other side of the road is the retail park that is well known to all. Have you noticed the recycling of the artwork created to brighten up the site before development? A section of Mohammed Ali's tree sculpture is on the car park wall of the Marks and Spencer Foodhall – the mural was originally added to the boards that formerly surrounded the Meteor Ford site. The trees of the artwork were painted in bright colours but are now black in contrast to the white walls of the car park. Much further down the road and on the other side, you will come to a pair of striking houses. They are adorned with decorative details from the Arts and Crafts movement, such as the wrought

iron overthrows bearing the street numbers. The houses were designed by the architect William de Lacy Aherne amd his work can be found on many other roads in Moseley. Aherne's sons were both actors – Pat Aherne was a silent screen leading man, reduced to minor supporting roles during the early sound era. He was also a champion boxer and featured in the first boxing film ever made. Brian Aherne played opposite Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis and Marlene Dietrich. I heard a rumour that Ozzy Osborne lived in one of these properties at one point and I'm guessing that, if true, it would have been in the 1970s after he earned a few bob from the success of Black Sabbath. It's probably an urban myth, but the buildings do have an appropriate look for the residence of the Prince of Darkness (like the recycled tree sculpture mural of Meteor Ford, the houses are a stylish mix of black and white). The road is fairly quiet in present times so I'm not sure how the son-of-Aston could have got away with biting the heads off bats on his front lawn. Perhaps there wasn't a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in those days. Whatever the truth of Ozzy's B13 residence, the houses are certainly fascinating in their design. A little further along you'll find a green plaque for someone who definitely did live on Oxford Road. Frederick Lanchester was a scientist, inventor and engineer, and a pioneer and visionary in aerodynamics and the automotive industry. Lanchester is cited as building the first four-wheel all British automobile in 1895-96. The green plaque is on Dyott End, the house Lanchester built to his own design and lived in from 1924 until his death in 1946. Another tribute to the inventor is found in Birmingham and was created by a member of a family synonymous with Moseley. Tim Tolkien, the great-nephew of JRR Tolkien, was the sculptor of the Lanchester Car Monument in Nechells. The work stands on the site where Lanchester created the groundbreaking early car. After this you reach Colmore Crescent and St Agnes Church, and it's the end of the line for Oxford Road.

Mark Baxter