A well dressing by the Methodist Church

The blessing of the water supply, in the form of a well is an ancient ceremony dating back to the Celts or even earlier.

It is only found in or near Derbyshire.

Well Dressing is the art of decorating springs or wells with pictures made of natural products.

Clay is pressed into boards, then the picture is traced onto the clay using a pointer. Then comes the delicate task of infilling with flower petals and other natural materials.

Each petal has to be put in separately and they overlap like tiles on a roof so that rain will flow off the picture. This process takes many hours and usually occupies most of the week prior to the well being dressed.