Much Wenlock

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Much Wenlock
Coordinates: 52.5938° N 2.5558° W
Population	2,605
OS grid reference	SO623997
District	Bridgnorth
Shire county	Shropshire
Region	West Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MUCH WENLOCK
Postcode district	TF13
Dial code	01952
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Ludlow
European Parliament	West Midlands
List of places: UK • England

Much Wenlock, earlier known simply as "Wenlock" ("White Place"), is a small town in Shropshire, England. It lies in the Bridgnorth district, on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge. The population of the town's parish, according to the 2001 census, is 2605.

Contents 1 History 2 Cultural associations 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] History

The town grew around a monastery founded in 680. In the twelfth century this was replaced by the Priory, the ruins of which can still be seen. Other architectural attractions include the sixteenth century Guildhall, many other historic buildings and an annual well dressing.

The town is known for Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games set up by Dr William Penny Brookes in 1850. In 1861 Dr Brookes was instrumental in setting up the Shropshire Games and later in 1866, the National Olympian Games. Dr Brookes is the founding father of the Modern Olympic Games. The Wenlock Olympian Society Games, a four-day event during the second weekend in July, are still contested in the town annually.

A Borough of Wenlock existed until 1966 which, at its height, was the largest borough in England outside of London and encompassed several of the towns that now constitute Telford. The Borough had unusual boundaries, covering Much Wenlock itself, but also Little Wenlock, Broseley and Ironbridge. 1966 saw the core Wenlock parts become part of the Bridgnorth Rural District, with other parts also going to Dawley urban district and to Wellington Rural District.

[edit] Cultural associations

• Nearby is Wenlock Edge, an important geological feature. Both the Edge and the town are the subject of several poems by A.E. Housman in his famous volume A Shropshire Lad, such as: "On Wenlock Edge the wood's in trouble..." and "Tis time, I think, by Wenlock town...". In 1909 these poems were set to music by Vaughan Williams as On Wenlock Edge, Song cycle for tenor and piano quintet.

• The Victorian era romantic painter & sculptor Robert Bateman (1842-1922) lived near Much Wenlock, at the 16th-Century Benthall Hall. In 1907 Walter Crane described his painting as of... "a magic world of romance and pictured poetry ... a twilight world of dark mysterious woodlands, haunted streams, meads of deep green starred with burning flowers, veiled in a dim and mystic light."

• In 1950 the town & its surrounding countryside were the locations of the film Gone to Earth by Powell and Pressburger. In 1985 the film was fully restored by the British Film Archive, and premiered to great acclaim. The New Statesman review claimed the restored film to be... "One of the great British regional films ...(and)... one of the most beautiful films ever to be shot of the English countryside". The film was based on the 1917 novel of the same name by local author Mary Webb, a novel partly inspired by the Diary of Francis Kilvert.

• The John Cleese film Clockwise was filmed partly in and around Much Wenlock.

[edit] See also

• Little Wenlock - nearby village.

[edit] External links

• Shropshire Tourism - The official tourism website for Shropshire.
• Wenlock Olympian Society
• Much Wenlock Visitor Guide by Virtual Shropshire
• Much Wenlock Photo Gallery
• A Literary Walk
• Festival at the Edge, an annual three-day festival of traditional storytelling