Dr William Penny Brookes

The man who basically invented the modern Olympics is buried in Much Wenlock, and there's a memorial to him here that most people drive straight past without noticing. Dr William Penny Brookes was a Victorian doctor with an obsession - he wanted to prove that ordinary people, not just the posh, could compete in athletics and benefit from sport. In the 1850s, he started the Much Wenlock Games right here in Shropshire, complete with competitions, medals, and ceremonies that looked suspiciously like what the Olympic Games would become decades later. When the modern Olympics kicked off in 1896, Brookes' influence was all over it.

You won't find much here beyond a memorial and the knowledge that you're standing where something genuinely important happened. It's the kind of place that appeals more to history types and anyone with an interest in how sport became democratised than to families after a day out. That said, Much Wenlock itself is a proper gem - a market town with real character, so you're not making a wasted trip. If you're based at one of the nearby caravan parks like Sytche (barely a walk away) or Mill Farm Holiday Park a couple of miles out, it's worth a quick visit while you're in the area.

Don't expect a museum or visitor centre. This is a quiet tribute to a man who changed the world, tucked into a Shropshire village where you can still feel the weight of his legacy. Pair it with a wander round Much Wenlock's streets and a proper look at the medieval priory ruins, and you've got yourself an afternoon.