What is Well Dressing?

The beautiful Well Dressing of Wirksworth 2012

It is an ancient custom of decorating (dressing) wells, springs, or other sources of water with living things.  it is most closely associated with Derbyshire and the first record in this country was in Tissington in 1349.

Wooden frames are constructed and soaked in water before being covered with wet clay mixed with salt.  A full scale design is sketched on paper, often with a religious theme, and this is pricked through the paper onto the clay.  Traditionally the picture is then filled-in with natural materials, predominently flower petals and mosses.  Some seeds can also be used and alder cones are very useful for outlines.
In some places modern materials are now used to simplify production.
Wirksworth and Barlow are two of the very few dressings where the strict use of only natural materials is still observed.