• Blog Home
  • Premier Cottages Home Page
  • About
  • Sign Up for News

Premier Cottages logo

  • Local GuidesVisitor Information
    • NorthNorthern England & Scotland
      • Cheshire
      • Cumbria
      • Derbyshire
      • Durham
      • Lake District
      • Lancashire
      • Northumberland
      • Peak District
      • Scotland
      • Straffordshire
      • Yorkshire
      • Greater Manchester
    • SouthSouthern England & Channel Islands
      • Cornwall
      • Devon
      • Dorset
      • Isle of White
      • Somerset
      • Hampshire
      • Wiltshire
      • Kent
      • Surrey
      • Sussex
      • Cotswolds
    • EastEastern England
      • Norfolk
      • Suffolk
      • Lincolnshire
      • Northamptonshire
      • Cambridgeshire
    • WestWestern England, Wales & Ireland
      • Wales
        • Pembrokeshire
      • Herefordshire
      • Ireland
        • Pembrokeshire
      • Shropshire
  • Destination GuidesArea Information
    • NorthNorthern England & Scotland
      • Lake District
      • Cheshire
      • Cumbria
      • Derbyshire
      • Lancashire
      • Northumberland
      • Peak District
      • Scotland
      • Straffordshire
      • Yorkshire
      • Greater Manchester
      • Durham
    • SouthSouthern England & Channel Islands
      • Cornwall
      • Devon
      • Dorset
      • Isle of White
      • Somerset
      • Hampshire
      • Wiltshire
      • Kent
      • Surrey
      • Sussex
      • Gloucestershire
      • Cotswolds
    • EastEastern England
      • Norfolk
      • Suffolk
      • Lincolnshire
      • Northamptonshire
      • Cambridgeshire
    • WestWestern England, Wales & Ireland
      • Wales
        • Pembrokeshire
      • Ireland
        • Pembrokeshire
      • Herefordshire
      • Shropshire
  • ExperienceDiscover & Explore
    • Award Winning
    • Events
    • Family Days Out
    • Eating Out
  • CollectionsCottage Holidays
    • Accessible
    • Dog Friendly
    • Family Friendly
    • Groups
    • Just For Two
  • Visit PremierCottages.co.ukLuxury Self Catering Holiday Cottages
  1. Home
  2. Posts
  3. 2015
  4. April
  5. Attractions at the Heart of Olde England at its best – come and visit Derbyshire’s Well Dressing Festivals this summerhe Peak District

Olde England at its best – come and visit Derbyshire’s Well Dressing Festivals this summer

Decorated water feature known as Well Dressing

Derbyshire villages have a unique summer tradition of Well Dressing. The ancient custom of Well Dressing is believed to have originated in pagan times by offering a sacrifice for the continuing provision of water, this tradition was later adopted by the Christian Church as an opportunity to thank God for water.

So, what is Well Dressing? It is the art of decorating springs and wells with pictures made from local plant life such as petals of flowers like hydrangeas and berries and leaves as well as natural materials such as pulses, seeds and dried herbs. Primitive man hung garlands of flowers over the wells as a thank you gesture. Over the years this developed into creating flower pictures in clay and boards that are displayed at wells and old pumps.

In my village, Ashford-in-the-Water, we have 6 wells. Many months before the festival, the groups of talented volunteers think up a theme for their well. A picture is then drawn on paper. A week before the event the paper is attached to the clay board and the design is pricked onto the clay. When the paper is removed the outline design appears and the hard work begins of pushing all the plant material into the clay. The wells are all erected on Saturday morning – they are incredible! Walking around the village is like looking at huge oil paintings made of flowers. The next day is the annual Blessing of the Wells Procession. The local Brass Band leads the way marching and playing between the wells, followed by the church choir and crowds of people. There is the most wonderful atmosphere and the whole village comes together in celebration. The church hosts a flower festival and there is other entertainment throughout the week. This is olde England at its best, do come and join us. This year Ashford-in-the-Water Well Dressing week starts on Saturday 30 May. Throughout the summer many villages have a well dressing week and details can be found on www.visitpeakdistrict.com

This post was kindly written by Sarah Winkworth-Smith of Churchdale Farm

Olde England at its best

Summary
[image] Article Name Attractions at the Heart of Olde England at its best – come and visit Derbyshire’s Well Dressing Festivals this summerhe Peak District
Author Anne Wiltshire
Description

Derbyshire villages have a unique summer tradition of Well Dressing.  The ancient custom of Well Dressing is believed to have originated in pagan times by offering a sacrifice for the continuing provision of water, this tradition was later adopted by the Christian Church as an opportunity to thank God for water.

TV and Film Sets in CheshireExplore Somerset; Top 10 Things To Do
 
You Might Also Like
Accommodation for the Rugby World Cup
Attractions at the Heart of The Peak District
 
Comments
  1. Jessica
    10/21/2015 1:20:54 PM

    Maecenas eget dolor id ligula condimentum rhoncus ac ac ligula. Maecenas dui augue, tempor et rhoncus id, sollicitudin id mi.

Post a comment

Please correct the following:

April 23, 2015
Holiday
Destination Guides
Dog Friendly
Family Days Out
Family Friendly
Just For Two
Derbyshire
Peak District
North
Pembrokeshire, Wales, Walking, This is a great holiday!,
Archive
  • January 2021 (1)
  • January 2020 (3)
  • February 2020 (4)
  • March 2020 (3)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • February 2019 (3)
  • March 2019 (2)
  • April 2019 (3)
  • May 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (4)
  • July 2019 (3)
  • August 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (3)
  • October 2019 (5)
  • November 2019 (4)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • February 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (1)
  • October 2018 (2)
  • November 2018 (1)
  • January 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (5)
  • July 2017 (4)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • January 2016 (1)
  • April 2016 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 2016 (1)
  • January 2014 (6)
  • February 2014 (5)
  • March 2014 (7)
  • April 2014 (13)
  • May 2014 (16)
  • June 2014 (4)
  • July 2014 (5)
  • August 2014 (13)
  • September 2014 (15)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • November 2014 (8)
  • December 2014 (11)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • February 2015 (11)
  • March 2015 (7)
  • April 2015 (2)
  • May 2015 (3)
  • June 2015 (7)
  • August 2015 (2)
  • October 2015 (1)
  • December 2015 (1)
Links
  • Visit the Premier Cottages Website
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube
Most Recent
Get Wild: Curing our Nature Deficit in 2021
January 14, 2021
5 Reasons Self-Catering Beats Hotel Holidays
November 13, 2020
Archives
Registered Office
Evans & Partners, 9 Bank Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 8LS Reg. No: 5173245
Sponsored Charity
Premier Cottages Supporting MacMillan Cancer Support