Well dressing is an ancient tradition from the Peak District of Derbyshire, England. Wells (usually springs, in fact) are decorated with a picture made from flowers and leaves pressed into clay-covered boards. Derbyshire well dressings are spread through the summer, with each village doing their well at the same time every year. Holymoorside is one of the latest (end of August), and largest. We use only flowers and leaves gathered locally from gardens and hedgerows. We re-use the clay and other materials. We create the well dressings on site in the open by the River Hipper on Cotton Mill Hill. The dressings are on display for two weeks starting the Saturday before August Bank Holiday Monday. Access is free at any time, and we encourage visitors to see our work, or to join in if they arrive while we are working! Construction starts one week before. Everyone gives their time for free, and any donations at the well are given to charity. Historic newspapers indicate that Well Dressing was well established in Holymoorside by 1848. Originally the Dressings were at the Whispering Well, a bountiful spring in the North-West of the village, but this was later incorporated into the municipal water supply. Well Dressing died out in Holymoorside around the turn of the century, but was revived in 1979, and has continued every year since.
