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2010 - Well Dressings in Derbyshire
As a part of our 2010 Derbyshire Festivals coverage, we've toiled away to find out all the places and locations of Well Dressings this summer across the whole of Derbyshire. All you have to do is sit back, peruse the list and figure out how to divide up your weekends of viewings!
Well dressings are a ritual quite particular to Derbyshire, with a few happening in Staffordshire and Yorkshire too, that involves the creation of artworks, often Christian in theme, made up of petals and other living plants pressed into clay. The origins of the ritual are still a little mysterious, but it is thought that the remoteness of Derbyshire prevented the many different invaders of Britain over the centuries from imposing their own customs upon the local people, which is why it isn't found in other regions of the country.
When the Christians eventually took over they looked on well dressing as a kind of water worship, and tried to stop it. However, it was re-introduced in 1349, Tissington being the first village to bring it back. After this, villages begun to dress the new water taps when piped water was introduced, and you can still see these beautiful creations around the county when the villages dress their wells and springs from early May until September.
May
Well Dressings commence early in May
at a wide range of places across the length and breadth of the County. Perhaps the May
dressings are some of the most challenging to produce. So early in the season, there are less
flowers to choose from. However this may be mitigated by the more temperate climate in this
month. Dressings on display at the height of summer can be subjected to some very drying
temperatures and some well dressings can disintegrate in a matter of a few days as the clay dries,
cracks and falls to the floor.
Pictured here is one of last year's Brackenfield Wells, photograph supplied courtesy of the Brackenfield Well Dressers. Brackenfield's well dressings this year commence 29 May and is on display until 2 June.
Tissington have also supplied a special feature on the history and making of their own well dressings. Tissington's well dressings go on display around the scenic village on 13 May.
- Newborough: 3-13 May, near Burton-On-Trent
- Carsington Water Visitor Centre: 8-9 May
- Waingroves: 8-10 May, near Ripley
- Milford: 8-12 May, near Belper
- Tissington: 13-19 May, the 'original' Derbyshire Well Dressing
- Etwall: 15-17 May, near Derby
- Swanick: 22-26 May, near Ripley
- Brackenfield : 29 May - 2 June, near Alfreton and close to the Ogston Reservoir
- Endon: 29 May - 2 June, on the Leek to Hanley Road
- Wirksworth: 29 May - 2 June
- Middleton-by-Youlgreave: 29 May - 3 June, near Bakewell
- Monyash: 29 May - 6 June, near Bakewell
- Ashford in the Water: 29 May - 6 June, near Bakewell
June
Well Dressings in June
- Ockbrook: 12-16 June, near Derby
- Cressbrook: 12-20 June, near Bakewell
- Marston Montgomery: 13-20 June, near Ashbourne
- Norbury: 18-25 June, near Ashbourne
- Youlgrave: 19-24 June, near Bakewell
- Middle Mayfield: 19-25 June, near Ashbourne
- Over Haddon: 19-26 June, near Bakewell
- Wyaston and Edlaston: 19-26 June, near Ashbourne
- Litton: 19-27 June, near Buxton
- Tideswell: 19-27 June, near Buxton
- Flash: 19-29 June, near Buxton
- Old Whittington: 25 June (evening)- 3 July, near Chesterfield
- Tintwistle: 25 June (evening)- 4 July, near Glossop
- Rowsley: 26 June- 2 July, near Matlock
- Elmton: 25 June (evening)- 3 July, near Worksop
- Bakewell: 26 June- 4 July
- Hope: 26 June- 5 July, near Chesterfield
- Whaley Bridge: 27 June- 3 July, near High Peak
- Peak Forest: 30 June- 7 July, near Buxton
July
Pictured on the
right is the process of making Well Dressings; Over Haddon and Brackenfield well
dressings are in progress here.
The boards on which the dressings are displayed are soaked and then filled with clay, which is kept covered and damp through the entire process of making the well dressing. Thousands of petals, leaves, seeds, twigs and other natural materials are gathered - traditionally from the local environment - and pressed into the damp clay to make the displays.
The gathering of materials can be a difficult process in itself. Likely blooms that will be 'in season' are usually taken into account when designing the wells on paper, but once the dates are set, it can sometimes be a challenge to find the correct colour palettes if some flowers are late to bloom or already finished prematurely.
Photographs courtesy of Ann of Brackenfield Well Dressings and Deborah Porter for the Over Haddon well dressing
- Derby City: From 3 July or take part in the dressing of the well on 2 July
- Wessington: 3-5 July, near Alfreton
- Coal Aston: 2-8 July, near Dronfield
- Whitwell: 3-10 July, near Worksop
- Hathersage: 3-10 July, near Hope Valley
- Chapel-en-le-Frith: 3-11 July, near High Peak
- Old Tupton: 3-11 July, near Chesterfield
- Buxworth: 3-11 July, near High Peak
- Dore: 3-11 July, near Sheffield
- Harthill: 5 July (evening)- 11 July, near Worksop
- Pilsley: 8-14 July, near Bakewell
- Tansley: 10-14 July, near Matlock
- Pleasley: 10-14 July, near Mansfield
- Belper : 10-15 July
- West Hallam: 10-16 July, near Ilkeston
- Crich: 10-17 July, near Matlock
- Hayfield: 10-18 July, near High Peak
- Sutton Lane Ends: 10-18 July, near Macclesfield
- Gee Cross: 11-17 July, near Hyde
- Bamford: 12-19 July, near Hope Valley
- Buxton : 11-19 July
- Upper Langwith: 15-18 July, near Mansfield
- Dronfield Woodhouse: 16-23 July, near Dronfield
- Holmesfield: 16-24 July, near Dronfield
- Cutthorpe: 16-25 July, near Chesterfield
- Heage Windmill: 17-18 July (during windmill opening hours only), near Ripley
- Aston-upon-Trent: 17-18 July, near Derby
- Heath: 17-24 July, near Chesterfield
- Little Longstone: 17-24 July, near Bakewell
- Rowthorne: 17-25 July, near Mansfield
- Charlesworth and Broadbottom: 9-16 July, near Glossop
- Millthorpe: 16 July (evening)- 25 July, near Dronfield
- Great Longstone: 17-24 July, near Bakewell
- Grindon: 18-26 July, near Ashbourne
- Barlborough: 23-27 July, near Chesterfield
- Stoney Middleton: 24 July- 2 August, near Hope Valley
- Bonsall: 31 July- 6 August, near Matlock
- Bradwell: 31 July- 8 August
August
Well Dressings in August
-
Barlow: 11-17 August, near Dronfield
- Great Hucklow: 12-17 August, near Bakewell
- Taddington: 21-28 August, near Buxton
- Holymoorside: 26 August - 8 September, near Chesterfield
- Foolow: 27 August - 4 September, near Buxton
- Eyam: 28 August - 4 September, near Bakewell
- Wormhill: 28 August - 5 September, near Buxton
September
The Well Dressings season finished in September with two wells on display in the middle of the month in Chesterfield and Hartington. You will also be able to see the tail end of the Holymoorside, Foolow, Eyam and Wormhill Wells that went on display at the end of August.
- Chesterfield Market: 11-18 September
- Hartington: 11-19 September, near Buxton
Get involved yourself?
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The people at the www.visitpeakdistrict.co.uk website have pulled together a whole host of information about Well Dressings in the region, including a searchable map of the Wells, plus the dates when you can go along and observe the 'petalling' (generally speaking petalling takes place in the week prior to the display dates given above). Many of the well dressers are happy to let you have a go for yourself and are happy to discuss this Derbyshire tradition with visitors.
If taking up a cocktail stick captures your interest sufficiently then there is even a downloadable recipe for making a Well Dressing of your own!! You may need the assistance of a responsible adult or two though, since the average well dressing takes a team of people up to a week to produce.
If you prefer a printed copy of this information, you can pick up a Well Dressings and Glorious Gardens brochure at Tourist Information or Visitor Centres throughout Derbyshire. The brochure also gives you an abundance of information on the glorious gardens you can visit in this beautiful county. The guide takes you on a tour of all the great halls and houses and their magnificent gardens, including the work for which Capability Brown is perhaps best known, the garden of Chatsworth House. The lesser known hidden gems such as those of Eyam Hall and Renishaw Hall are also profiled and there's a run down of gardening events taking place throughout the summer.
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