Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock is a town and also parish in Shropshire, England, positioned on the A458 road in between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Close by, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new community of Telford. The civil church consists of the villages of Homer (1 mile north of the town), Wyke (2 miles northeast), Atterley (2 miles southeast) and also Bourton (3 miles southwest). The population of the civil parish, according to the 2001 census, was 2,605, raising to 2,877 at the 2011 Census. Much Wenlock was historically the chief community of the ancient borough of Wenlock. The "Much" was added to the name to differentiate it from the close-by Little Wenlock, and also symbolizes that it is the bigger of the two settlements. Remarkable historical attractions in the town are Wenlock Priory and the Guildhall. The name Wenlock most likely originates from the Celtic name Wininicas, implying "white area" (of the limestone of Wenlock Edge), plus the Old English loca, meaning "confined place". The town was recorded in the Domesday Book as Wenloch. The Wenlock Olympian Games established by Dr William Penny Brookes in 1850 are centred in the town. Dr Brookes is attributed as a founding father of the contemporary Olympic Games, as well as one of the London 2012 Summer Olympics mascots; called Wenlock after the community.
