The Book

The Story of Wenlock Olympian Society and William Penny Brookes

“The Story of Wenlock Olympian Society and William Penny Brookes” book contains a history of the life and work of William Penny Brookes and the Wenlock Olympian Society from its foundation in 1850 through to modern times.

It covers Brooke’s and the Society’s work on physical education, the connections with the home of the ancient Olympics, Greece, the formation of the National Olympian Association and finally the visit of the founder of the modern Olympic movement – Pierre de Coubertain – to Much Wenlock in 1890.

The book traces the Wenlock Olympian Society after the death of Brookes in 1895 through to the London 2012 Olympics and beyond.

The book also contains reproductions of many historically important photographs.