The Custom of Well Dressing
To help our visitors who may not be conversant with Well Dressing, here is a short description of the evolution and mechanics of the art. We think the whole thing started in pagan times, when people worshipped various gods, including no doubt one relating to water, which, in a district such as ours situated as it is on porous limestone, could at times be in short supply. In those days the villagers would decorate the wells very simply with a few flowers or boughs of greenery. However, since the advent of Christianity which took over the custom to its own use, the nature of the decoration has gradually become more complicated, gradually progressing to the picture boards which you see today. Although due to present day health regulations, the wells and pumps (which were situated over wells) are no longer in use, our boards are still on the actual sites. The pictures and surrounding borders are all composed of natural materials e.g. flower petals, leaves, bark, egg-shell, lichen, straw, wool, stone or coal, pressed onto a layer of clay which is plastered onto the boards. The boards and clay are first soaked in the river to absorb as much moisture as possible; a week before Trinity Sunday, which is our church's patronal festival, they are removed from the river, and the clay is pressed onto the boards and floated smooth -the same principle as with old lath-and-plaster walls. Having been transported to various garages or barns by a team of strong men (the clayed boards are very heavy) and a lorry or tractor and cart, they are laid horizontally on trestles and allowed to dry out for a day or two so the clay surface is not too messy to work on. Previously each well's petalling-team has chosen a subject (traditionally, but less so today, of a Biblical nature) and drawn a picture and design. This is then "blown up" in size to fit its picture board, laid on and pricked through onto the clay. The paper is then removed, leaving the outline of the design to be worked. The main outlines are then emphasised with wool, alder "bobs", corn or other suitable materials. During the next few days any areas which are to be composed of durable materials such as straw or bark are filled in by pressing into the surface of the clay. At the end of the week, the more fragile materials such as flower petals are "pricked in" using a sharp instrument (the traditional tool is a horse-shoe nail), using the same technique as in slating a roof, with the petals overlapping downwards to deflect rain. Finally the outside of the board is cleaned and painted before the "strong men" appear early on Saturday morning to erect the boards at the various wells.