Well-Dressing in Derbyshire

Traditionally, the well-dressing season starts on Ascension Day and lasts into September. The ceremony of decorating local wells to give thanks for the water is found almost exclusively in villages in the Derbyshire Peak District. The images are created using flower petals that are embedded in a clay base within a wooden frame. Other natural materials such as grains, seeds, berries, twigs, slate, gravel, wool, bark, and moss are also used. The displays can be pastoral but more often depict religious figures and events, including the Ascension.

Robert Holmes/Corbis

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Ascension Day; Derbyshire; Peak District National Park

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