Wenlock and mandeville why these names

And who knows what else; after all, we're just at the start of the journey, and the possibilities are endless. Each of the mascots' names Wenlock and Mandeville carry a great deal of historical significance, tying London's history to the tradition of the Olympic and Paralympic games. Wenlock's character was inspired by the small town in Shropshire called Much Wenlock, which actually hosted a precursor to what we know as the modern Summer Olympic Games back in the s.

The Wenlock Games, as they were known back then, helped inspire Baron Pierre de Coubertain to conceptualize the modern Olympic Games in And what about Wenlock's partner, Mandeville? That character was named after the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, located in Buckinghamshire about miles southeast from Much Wenlock, which was actually the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.

Back then, the Stoke Mandeville Games was simply a series of competitions held for soldiers injured from the war, but it is largely regarded as the inspiration for the Paralympics.

With the help of author Murpurgo, Wenlock and Mandeville were conceptualized as two drops of steel that came from a factory in Bolton, which were both taken home by a retiring worker. That worker takes these steel droplets and molds characters out of the metal for his grandchildren. He gives them each a single eye, which is supposed to act as a camera lens to both see the world and respond to it.

Wenlock And Mandeville: Your Impressions? The mascots for the Olympic and Paralympic Games have received a fair share of hot and cold reviews.

UK-based design publication Creative Review had positive things to say about Wenlock and Mandeville:. However, not everyone is a fan of the Olympic Games mascots. Obviously, a meeting was held about whether those mascots were a good idea, and someone said, 'Sure. Some may lead to inconic pictures to be remembered; others to be forgotten! Do you think your school or college has got what it takes to put our new Nations Favourite Mascots through their paces?

Why not try your luck and enter their competition for a chance to meet them in person! Take a look at the magic behind the nations new Olympic Mascots. The story was originally written by author Michael Morpurgo and consequently turned into this animated short. Where they are evidently Londoners is in the look of their cyclopean eyes, that may remind many of the lenses of CCTV cameras staring from pretty much every building, station and street corner in the city.

The games were held annually, attracting competitors from as far as Liverpool and London. The latter's first Festival, a three-day event held at Crystal Palace in , attracted 10, spectators and competitors. An year-old W G Grace won the yards hurdles. Who doesn't act like an American these days?