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

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