This information is provided to the best of our knowledge.
We have collected and collated it in good faith but we are not responsible for its accuracy
and anyone intending to make use of this information is advised to check it out.
Well that's the legal stuff sorted.
Should you decline to comply with this warning,
a leather winged demon of the night will soar from the deep malevolent caverns of the white peak into the shadowy
moonlit sky and, with a thirst for blood on its salivating fangs,
search the very threads of time for the throbbing of your heartbeat.
Just thought you'd want to know that.
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Skip to the comprehensive list of well dressings.
Derbyshire, which is the major county in the Peak District is world
famous for its well dressing. They can be seen from May to September throughout
the county. Probably the most well known village that has well dressing
is Tissington which is
the first village to hold their well dressing festival in May.
Most well dressings are of a similar form.
Near the well will be a large
wooden frame containing a picture made out natural materials.
The predominant material is petal leaves.
The technicalities
of the construction is that the wooden frame is full of nails, a little
like a bed of nails.
Into this frame is spread clay, about 25mm (1") thick.
This will have been collected seven to ten days before the festival.
During
the intervening period it is 'puddled' - a process whereby the well dressers
walk over the clay in much the same way as grapes used to be pressed.
This has the effect of softening the clay and makes the removal of stones,
grit, twigs, and other unwanted contaminates easier.
A little salt is
added to the clay to assist with its water retention.
Then the image is
marked out with seeds, small stones, or coffee beans, in much the same
way a child's colouring book looks.
Then the coloured images are filled
in with petals, Hydrangea are good for blue skies, moss for greens and
bark for trees and buildings.
No self respecting well dresser uses any
paint whatsoever.
They will use diverse natural materials such as
eggshell, lichen, straw, wool, stone or coal to give their well dressing the colours it requires.
It will take a proficient well dresser about seven hours
to attach all the petals.
They are laid like tiles so that any rain will
run over the petals and off the bottom of the picture.
Rain is not the biggest threat to the pictures.
Most rain will run off
of the pictures, but wind will cause the clay to dry out, then it will
crack and the petals may be blown away.
The best time to see the dressed wells is in the first three or four
days after they have been erected.
The index
lists villages on the route that have well dressings.
See also a comprehensive list of well dressings which includes well dressing within the Peak District National Park and many villages and towns outside the Peak National Park which have well dressings.
There is no definitive explanation as to why they were started.
It is
thought that they originated in pagan rituals or sacrifices to water gods
as a thanks for past supplies and a request for continuing future deliveries.
With much of the Peak District residing on porous limestone, water could, at times, be in short supply.
The scarifies are thought to have been replaced by the colourful decoration
as a tribute to the gods.
It is known that the Romans
made similar offering to their gods and one theory says that they probably
brought this custom to Derbyshire.
Unfortunately, no similar custom exists
in modern Italy.
So, the most favoured theory has the custom originating
before the Romans and that is was a Celtic
custom that managed to survive the successive invasions of Romans, Saxons,
Danes, and Normans.
What is more certain is that the early Christian Church absorbed the
pagan rite into it.
The early Christian Church has an history of absorbing
rather than suppressing pagan customs.
Why else is Christmas day so close
to the shortest day?
In pagan times this was a time of rejoicing as the
days would now get longer.
And why is Easter a moveable feast?
The name Easter comes from Eastre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess, originally of the dawn.
In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honour.
Some Easter customs have come from this and other pre-Christian spring festivals.
Thus, most modern day well dressing coincides
with religious festivals with the pictures depicting a biblical or moral
theme.
Indeed, one primary school has used the paintings of
L.S Lowry,
who lived that later part of his life in Derbyshire, for its
well dressing.
As part of the absorbing of the well dressing tradition, it is thought the the Christian Church gradually changes the well dressing themes to a religious theme
and allowed the well dressings to be more complicated with the modern day picture frames.
Although many of the wells are not in active use, the tradition of well dressing survives to this day.
Each village and town's well dressings in this list have been colour coded as follows:
Well Dressings that have recently been taken down - you can also see all previous Well Dressings.
Well Dressing that has just been put up in the last few days
and today would be a good time to see the Well Dressings in their prime condition.
Well Dressing that has been up for more than a few days
and its condition may be deteriorating.
Well Dressing that will be put up in the next 2 weeks.
Well Dressing that has not yet been put up
and are at least 2 weeks from being put up.
If your village or town's well dressing is not shown on our list, or you have a definite date for next year's well dressing, please contact us and let us know.
| Start Date |
Village or Town |
Local Contact |
End Date |
| Monday | 3rd May 2010 | Newborough | 01283 575988 | Thursday | 13th May 2010 | | Saturday | 8th May 2010 | Carsington Water | 01629 540696 | Sunday | 9th May 2010 | | Thursday | 13th May 2010 | Tissington | 01335 - 352200 | Wednesday | 19th May 2010 | | Saturday | 15th May 2010 | Etwall | | Monday | 17th May 2010 | | Saturday | 15th May 2010 | Swanwick | 01773 609171 | Wednesday | 19th May 2010 | | Saturday | 29th May 2010 | Middleton by Youlgrave | 01629 636037 | Thursday | 3rd June 2010 | | Saturday | 29th May 2010 | Endon | 01782 504085 | Monday | 31st May 2010 | | Saturday | 29th May 2010 | Wirksworth | 01629 822695 | Wednesday | 2nd June 2010 | | Saturday | 29th May 2010 | Monyash | 01629 812778 | Sunday | 6th June 2010 | | Saturday | 12th June 2010 | Cressbrook | 01298 872240 | Sunday | 20th June 2010 | | Saturday | 12th June 2010 | Ockbrook Moravian Settlement | 01332 280840 | Wednesday | 16th June 2010 | | Sunday | 13th June 2010 | Marston Montgomery | 01889 591181 | Sunday | 20th June 2010 | | Friday | 18th June 2010 | Norbury | | Friday | 25th June 2010 | | Saturday | 19th June 2010 | Flash | | Tuesday | 29th June 2010 | | Saturday | 19th June 2010 | Litton | 01298 871569 | Sunday | 27th June 2010 | | Saturday | 19th June 2010 | Over Haddon | 01629 814177 | Saturday | 26th June 2010 | | Saturday | 19th June 2010 | Tideswell | 01298 871840 | Sunday | 27th June 2010 | | Saturday | 19th June 2010 | Wyaston and Edlaston | 01335 342828 | Saturday | 26th June 2010 | | Saturday | 19th June 2010 | Youlgreave | 007977 451339 | Thursday | 24th June 2010 | | Friday | 25th June 2010 | Old Whittington | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | | Saturday | 26th June 2010 | Rowsley | 01629 734427 | Friday | 2nd July 2010 | | Sunday | 27th June 2010 | Whaley Bridge | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | | Sunday | 27th June 2010 | Bugsworth | 01663 733445 | Friday | 2nd July 2010 | | Wednesday | 30th June 2010 | Peak Forest | 01298 22224 | Wednesday | 7th July 2010 | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | Buxworth | 01663 733445 | Sunday | 11th July 2010 | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | Chapel-en-le-Frith | 01298 815291 | Sunday | 11th July 2010 | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | Coal Aston | 01246 415630 | Thursday | 8th July 2010 | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | Derby | 01332 290606 | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | Dore | | Sunday | 11th July 2010 | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | Hathersage | | Saturday | 10th July 2010 | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | Wessington | 01773 520152 | Monday | 5th July 2010 | | Saturday | 3rd July 2010 | Whitwell | 01909 722388 | Saturday | 10th July 2010 | | Tuesday | 6th July 2010 | Harthill | 01909 771328 | Sunday | 11th July 2010 | | Saturday | 10th July 2010 | Crich | 01773 852026 | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | | Saturday | 10th July 2010 | Hayfield | 01663 754933 | Sunday | 18th July 2010 | | Saturday | 10th July 2010 | Pleasley | 01623 810732 | Wednesday | 14th July 2010 | | Saturday | 10th July 2010 | Tansley | 01629 55946 | Wednesday | 14th July 2010 | | Sunday | 11th July 2010 | Bamford | 01433 650544 | Sunday | 18th July 2010 | | Sunday | 11th July 2010 | Buxton | 01298 70156 | Monday | 19th July 2010 | | Thursday | 15th July 2010 | West Hallam | 0115 932 6621 | Friday | 16th July 2010 | | Friday | 16th July 2010 | Cutthorpe | 01246 620314 | Sunday | 25th July 2010 | | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | Aston on Trent | 01332 793430 | Thursday | 22nd July 2010 | | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | Ault Hucknall, Glapwell and Rowthorne | 01246 850608 | Sunday | 25th July 2010 | | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | Charlesworth and Broadbottom | 01457 855837 | Sunday | 25th July 2010 | | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | Great Longstone | 01629 640943 | Saturday | 31st July 2010 | | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | Heage Windmill | 01773 852467 | Sunday | 18th July 2010 | | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | Holmesfield | 0114 289 0356 | Saturday | 24th July 2010 | | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | Little Longstone | 01629 640723 | Saturday | 24th July 2010 | | Saturday | 17th July 2010 | Millthorpe | 0114 262 1699 | Sunday | 25th July 2010 | | Saturday | 24th July 2010 | Stoney Middleton | 01433 631942 | Monday | 2nd August 2010 | | Saturday | 31st July 2010 | Bradwell | 01433 621459 | Sunday | 8th August 2010 | | Wednesday | 11th August 2010 | Barlow | 01246 550152 | Tuesday | 17th August 2010 | | Thursday | 12th August 2010 | Great Hucklow | 01298 873047 | Tuesday | 17th August 2010 | | Saturday | 28th August 2010 | Wormhill | 01298 871023 | Sunday | 5th September 2010 | | Saturday | 11th September 2010 | Hartington | 01298 84380 | Sunday | 19th September 2010 |
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