Much Wenlock is a town and also parish in Shropshire, England, positioned on the A458 road in between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new community of Telford. The civil parish includes the villages of Homer (1 mile north of the community), Wyke (2 miles northeast), Atterley (2 miles southeast) and Bourton (3 miles southwest). The population of the civil parish, according to the 2001 census, was 2,605, boosting to 2,877 at the 2011 Census. Much Wenlock was traditionally the primary town of the old borough of Wenlock. The "Much" was included in the name to differentiate it from the nearby Little Wenlock, and symbolizes that it is the bigger of both settlements. Noteworthy historic attractions in the community are Wenlock Priory and also the Guildhall. The name Wenlock probably comes from the Celtic name Wininicas, indicating "white location" (of the limestone of Wenlock Edge), plus the Old English loca, suggesting "enclosed location". The community was recorded in the Domesday Book as Wenloch. The Wenlock Olympian Games developed by Dr William Penny Brookes in 1850 are centred in the community. Dr Brookes is attributed as a founding father of the modern Olympic Games, and one of the London 2012 Summer Olympics mascots; called Wenlock after the town.