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Much Wenlock June 2003 Words
by Much Wenlock Well Dressing Team What is Well Dressing? Well Dressing is the art of decorating Springs and Wells with pictures made from organic matter. The blessing of the water supply, in the form of the well, is an ancient ceremony that has recently been revived for the tourist industry, having virtually died out around the 1950's. Sources attribute the practice to the period of the Black Death in 1348-9, when probably a large proportion of the population of England died of the disease. The village of Tissington, in Derbyshire was untouched and the locals attributed this to their clean water supply. The village wells were 'dressed' as a thanksgiving. Much Wenlock well dressing started in 1996. The basic requirements for well dressing include a wooden tray, clay and lots of colourful material. The wooden tray, of chosen dimensions, is used to carry the clay. The tray is generally well soaked - often left in a local stream for a number of days. Layers of very wet clay are pressed- onto the tray. Wetting the clay is referred to as 'puddling'. The Design The design can be a commemoration of a local or world event, a biblical scene or any other topic. Designs are usually very intricate in detail. A 'design', which has been drawn to full size, on paper, is placed onto the clay and with the aid of a knitting needle, the design is 'pricked' through onto the clay. The paper is then removed and the design is 'worked' using flower petals, leaves, seeds, coffee beans, egg- shells, tree bark or any other suitable organic material. The Much Wenlock well dressing can take a team of people up to 5 days to complete - 30 people are generally involved in the Wenlock project. The completed well dressing
is left in place at the well, or wells, for approximately seven days by
which time the clay starts to crack and the organic material colours See Also |
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