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Well dressing is a custom practised in rural England in which wells are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The custom is most closely associated with the Peak District of the English Midlands.

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.

The custom almost died out, but it was revived in the 1920s and 1930s largely through the travails of the 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.

Process

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.

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.

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County:  Derbyshire

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