The small country town of Much Wenlock is about 160 miles north-west of London. It was the site of a priory dating back to 690AD. There is also evidence of a Saxon royal abbey. Due to its location near the Welsh border, it also grew into a thriving market town. But it is in the year 2012 that this little town in Shropshire has been put firmly on the map. The London Olympic Games took Wenlock into it’s ‘family’.
In the mid-1800s, Dr William Penny Brookes, a true Victorian gentleman, who enjoyed the ‘manly sport of the outdoors’, put a case forward for the “reinstitution of the games of our forefathers … to maintain that good feeling between high and low, rich and poor, which happily for us is the national characteristic of Old England”. The town’s folk embraced Dr Brookes’ idea and since 1850, Much Wenlock has hosted an annual ‘Olympian Games’.
The original competition consisted of cricket, adapted football, high jump, long jump and quoits. To include the whole community, there was also a hopping and running race for the children. The competition got bigger each year. Other sports were introduced, including archery, a blindfold wheelbarrow race, putting the stone, a pig race, hurdle races and even a race for the old women, with a prize of a pound of tea.
The Wenlock Olympian Games was a huge success. Between 4,000 and 5,000 spectators made the journey to the town every year. Even the Great Western Railway had to put on special trains to deal with the numbers.
At this time, scientists across the globe were encouraging people to participate in outdoor activities to improve health. So sports were rapidly becoming more fashionable across Europe and North America.
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin, a French aristocrat who enjoyed fencing, rowing and boxing. His love of English novels introduced him to characters who were, “fondly devoted to manly games and outdoor sports”. Thus he was committed to transforming the French education system and encouraging the development of physical education. He made many trips to England from 1880 to research the British education system. He also spent a lot of time in the town of Rugby. After hearing about the Games at Much Wenlock, he paid the town a visit. This inspired him to start his campaign to re-introduce the competitions of Ancient Greece.
To support his proposal, in 1890 Coubertin published an article: “The Wenlock Olympian Games: a page in the history of athletics”. This began with high praise for Dr Brookes, who he admired greatly, and the people of Much Wenlock. In subsequent articles Coubertin again mentioned how the people of Much Wenlock had upheld the true traditions of the Olympic Games.
So, after much hard work, and a remarkably positive attitude, Pierre de Coubertin became the founder of the modern Olympic Games which were held in Athens in 1896.
Thank you to the town of Much Wenlock for not only inspiring Pierre de Coubertin, but also the London Olympic Committee for choosing the name of Wenlock for the mascot for London 2012.
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