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Museum on the Move: Brookes’ Olympian Class
(Image courtesy of Wenlock Olympian Society)
In 1850 Brookes formed the Wenlock Olympian Class. This annual sporting event grew to create not only regional events, but to inspire the foundation of the Modern Olympic Movement
The founding of the Olympian Society
(Image courtesy of Wenlock Olympian Society)
Brookes’ Reading Rooms and educational classes proved extremely popular. Two years later he extended the range of activities on offer to include a sporting class which later became known as the Olympian Society. The Class was founded to hold an annual sporting and cultural Games in the town.
“...promote the moral, physical and intellectual improvements of the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood of Wenlock, and especially the working classes...”
Open to all
(Image courtesy of Shropshire Archives)
Unlike most sporting competitions at the time everyone was invited to take part regardless of their social class. This was still a radical idea with most amateur sporting events open only to gentlemen. Many contemporaries of Brookes, such as Mrs Gaskell of Much Wenlock, still believed that recreation for “the working classes” made them lazy.
The first Games were a mixture of classical athletics, country sports and arts and crafts. Sporting events included familiar games such as football and cricket alongside tilting at the ring and quoits. Although women were unable to take part in the sports they could enter competitions such as knitting and choral singing. Fun events were also included to entertain the crowds. These included a blindfold wheelbarrow race and climbing the greased pole.