MUCH WENLOCK

'Much Wenlock', earlier known simply as "'Wenlock'" ("White Place") in Celtic ("Gwyn-loc"), is a small town in central 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

History

Cultural associations

See also

External links

History

The town grew around an abbey or monastery founded in 680 by Merewalh, a son of King Penda of Mercia. King Penda installed his daughter Milburga as Abbess in 682. Milburga of Wenlock was credited with many miraculous works. The abbey flourished until around 874 when a Danish Viking attack occurred. In the 11th Century another religious house was built on the same site by Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Countess Godiva his wife. In the twelfth century this was replaced by the Priory a Cluniac priory, established by Roger de Montgomerie after the Norman Conquest, the ruins of which can still be seen and which is now in the hands of English Heritage. It prospered until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540. Other architectural attractions include the sixteenth century Guildhall, many other historic buildings in the Early English style and an annual well dressing at St Milburga's Well on Barrow Street.
The town was incorporated under the name of "Bailiff, Burgesses and Commonalty" by Edward IV in 1468 at the request of Sir John Wenlock, and "in consideration of the laudable services which the men of the town performed in assisting the king to gain possession of the crown," and the charter was confirmed in 1547 by Henry VIII and in 1631 by Charles I.[1]
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.

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."''

★ The actress Rosemary Leach was born here.

★ 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.

★ St. Milburga's Well was supposed to cure eye diseases and the town was a destination popular for medieval pilgrims, coming to worship at St Milburga's Shrine.

See also

★ Little Wenlock - nearby village.

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