Well dressing

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Close up of a Well dressing picture

Well Dressing is a custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The custom is most closely associated with the Peak District of the English Midlands,

1 History
2 Process
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

The origins of the tradition are alternatively said to lie in pagan tradition or in giving thanks for the purity of the water drawn from certain wells during the period of the Black Death. It is often said to have originated in Tissington, Derbyshire, though other claims can be made for Eyam and Stoney Middleton. Whatever its origins it was historically a custom exclusive in England to the Peak District of Derbyshire.

The custom almost died out by the early years of the 20th century but it was revived in the 1920s and 1930s largely through the travails of local Headmaster Mr Edwin Shimwell. The custom has since spread outside its traditional heartland to numerous villages and small towns in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, South Yorkshire, Cheshire, and even as far afield as Much Wenlock in Shropshire.

In recent years the custom has been observed in the spring-water town of Great Malvern where the many wells are dressed at the time of the May Day celebrations.

[edit] Process

Well dressing in Stoney Middleton

The 2006 Well Dressing in Holymoorside.

Wooden frames are constructed and covered with clay, mixed with water and salt. A design is sketched on paper, often of a religious theme, and this is traced onto the clay. The picture is then filled in with natural materials, predominantly flower petals and mosses, but also beans, seeds and small cones. Wirksworth is one of the very few towns where the strict use of only natural materials is still observed.

Each group uses their own technique, with some areas mandating that only natural materials be used while others feel free to use modern materials to simplify production.