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Monyash Well Dressing
Well dressing is a unique Derbyshire tradition, originating in Pagan times, and is the art of decorating wells or springs as a form of thanksgiving for being provided with a continuous supply of pure water.
The elaborate well dressings are created using a wooden framework which is soaked for several days before being given a facing of clay. Flower parts, petals and natural materials are then carefully pressed into the clay to produce a fabulous colourful picture.
Most of the well dressings have a religious theme, with each well being blessed at the beginning of their week-long display. Village residents volunteer their services to take part in the laborious ‘puddling’, ‘petalling’ and ‘flowering’ processes which often take a week to carry out, sometimes with shifts operating well into the night. However it is a valuable way for villagers to socialize each year, often with a competitive rivalry existing between villages to produce the most attractive well dressings.
In Monyash the well dressing custom is carried out in late May, the dates varying slightly from year to year.
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