A Derbyshire Tradition
- Well Dressings
Brackenfield and Middleton-By-Youlgrave
w/e 25 May
2003
During the summer of 2003, a tradition almost unique
to Derbyshire, will be continued at many villages throughout
the county. At the last count you will be able to see well dressings
at 76 locations between May and September, most of them within
the county boundary. So what is "Well Dressing"? Click here to open a
window to read a description scanned from this year's programme
of events. The first well dressings of the season took place
at the beginning of May and this Bank Holiday weekend there were
dressings on view at five more locations. We visited two of them
and passed close to a third.
The first was at the small village of Brackenfield close to Ogston
Reservoir. This view of a dressed well at Nether Farm is typical
of the Derbyshire countryside in summer. To see a large version
(133kb) of the above picture click
here. To see a large version of a well dressing you'd best
come to Derbyshire!
The theme
for all the well dressings in Brackenfield this year was "The
Environment" and the contribution outside the Parish Church
showed an otter with the message "Do not pollute our waterways".
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As part of
the well dressing celebrations, the Church also had a flower
festival within its walls. Here the theme was "Opera and
Ballet". Beautiful flower displays adorned all of the church
(top left) with "The Nutcracker" being the theme near
the altar (bottom left) and "The Mikado" near the lectern
(right).
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The Methodist
Church also had a flower festival where "God's Gifts"
was the theme. From music to technology, all aspects of God's
gifts to man were illustrated and every nook and cranny of the
small church was filled with flowers.
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Outside, the
environment theme was well illustrated around the village. "Fish
got to swim and birds got to fly", "Save our woodlands"
and "The earth is for everyone" were the messages on
the three dressings shown above. Surprisingly the pump on the
village green was not dressed but did have a plaque that read:
"This former working well was reopened to celebrate millennium
2000. The well supplied water for many years but fell into disuse
when the mains supply reached this part of the village. Opened
by Gladwyn Turbutt, High Sheriff of Derbyshire 1998-99 on the
25th September 1999".
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The piece de resistance though
overlooked the green where, alongside a signpost pointing to
the other wells, a large panel depicted a friendly looking bull
peering over a style - testament indeed to the craftsmanship
and artistic talent of Derbyshire folk and just two more of God's
gifts to be thankful for.
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The other village we visited
was as far west of Matlock as Brackenfield is to the east. Here
at Middleton-By-Youlgrave, there was only one well dressed but
with bunting across the streets, a variety of market stalls,
a barbecue, bouncy castle and a host of other entertainments
for both children and adults, the weekend was certainly going
with a swing and everyone was taking the the first part of the
message on the well dressing to heart. "Live as if you'll
die tomorrow, farm as if you'll live forever".
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