The Custom of Well Dressing

The Custom of Well Dressing is mostly unique to Derbyshire, its origins and history are not certain but its roots are said to come from pagan customs of making offerings to Water Gods, many Wells were thought to have healing powers and during early Christian times offerings continued to be made, as a result some Wells were dedicated to Christian Saints as St. Ann’s Well in Buxton.

But why only in Derbyshire? Traditionally Well Dressing has taken place in towns and villages in the limestone areas of the county, the White Peak limestone is a porous rock through which surface water drains quickly so a plentiful and reliable supply of fresh spring water was essential to rural life.

The place with the longest documented association with Well Dressing is Tissington, a beautiful village south of Buxton, it is said that the custom began there after an outbreak of the Black Death in 1348 - 1349, although the surrounding population was ravaged by the plague in Tissington all escaped, this was put down to the purity of their water supply, in thanks the village Wells were dressed with foliage and the custom has continued with few breaks, in 2000 over 650 years of Well Dressing was celebrated. Well Dressers all around Derbyshire take great pride in continuing this ancient tradition and offering thanks for the gift of clean and plentiful water so often taken for granted. In the early years of Well Dressing wells were decorated with garlands of foliage, but the dressings became more elaborate about 200 years ago when floral cameos showing something to do with water such as waterfalls or fountains were introduced, subsequently more elaborate pictures depicting biblical scenes were dressed, again relevant to water such as Jesus turning water into wine.

The pictures chosen today by Well Dressing designers may be of religious stories, portrayals of Churches, Cathedrals or pictures commemorating a local event, the religious connection is also continued with a Blessing Service, members of the Clergy and the local community gather at the Wells soon after they are erected and thanks are given for the fresh water for the cleansing and refreshment of the people.

A History of Buxton Well Dressing

The first Well Dressing took place in Buxton in 1840, more accurately it should be termed a Pump Dressing, since it was organised as a token of thanks to the 6th Duke of Devonshire from the townspeople of Buxton. He had arranged for a supply of water to be piped from Cold Springs on the outskirts of Buxton to the towns Market Place, a Well is still decorated on this site today. The other Well decorated is St. Ann’s in the Crescent. It is not certain when this Well was first decorated but an illustration from 1864 shows the Pump Room decorated and festooned with garlands of greenery. The custom continued through the Victorian era with varying levels of interest until 1912 when it ceased. It was started again in 1925 at the instigation of the Town Council. They saw The Well Dressing was a valuable aid to attracting tourists to the town, each year the council employed a team of Well Dressers from one of the surrounding villages to dress St. Ann’s and the Higher Buxton Well.

After the Second World War, in 1947 a Well Dressing Committee was formed, they organised the Festival which once again included a Fair, a Carnival Procession and a Wells Dressing Festival Queen but on a much bigger scale than had been seen before with the dressed Wells as its focal point.

A team of local people was formed to dress the Wells and they soon developed a beautiful unique style of their own, unfortunately in 1986 the local council had to withdraw all financial support for the Well Dressing and this co-incised with the long served team of dressers disbanding, so from 1986 a new team has come together to learn and enjoy the art and craft of Well Dressing. To complete the boards a team of around 50 people are involved in repairing the boards puddling the clay, drawing the designs, dressing and erecting the boards. All these volunteers spend around 500 hours happily completing the process of Well Dressing.

Buxton Spa of Blue Water

The town of Buxton owes its existence to the constantly flowing natural thermal water that emerges from nine springs that outcrop in the Crescent Area. The water is one of the purest in the world.

The Buxton water that we drink today fell as rain some 5,00 years ago, it then filters through the limestone of the Peak District until it meets an imperious layer where it remains from some 18/20 years to remerge where the impervious layer outcrops. In its passage from subterranean depths the water is warmed to 82oF/28OC by passing through heat giving minerals and flows at some 150 gallons per minute. The thermal waters of Buxton are the only true thermal waters in Derbyshire. The water apart from being slightly radioactive has 40 minor constitutes and is remarkably constant for both purity and quality and has a faint blue colour.

Buxton was known to the Romans who would have arrived about 70AD, they named the town Aqua Arnemetiae “The Spa of the Goddess of the Grove” Buxton was a Roman health resort in the days of the Caesar’s. A place where the Legionnaires could bathe relax and enjoy themselves. There was only one other place in Roman Britain with Aqua (Latin for water) this was Bath in Somerset which they named Aqua Sullis. In the Middle Ages the area around Buxton was the Royal Forest. The Kings Deer occupied the Wye Valley and would have congregated in the Buxton Basin in winter drinking the warm spring water. These deer are still commemorated on the Towns coat of arms and the Towns seal.

We now find the Thermal Springs referred to as healing wells and a place of pilgrimage for many who felt the water could help heal their affliction. It is felt a chapel existed in the reign of Richard 1st 1189/1199. And by the middle of the 15-century the well was recorded as a Holy Well and given the name St Ann’s. The well now became famous and people travelled long distances in the hope of a cure. Many left sticks and crutches hanging on the chapel walls feeling they were cured and no longer needing their support. Lord Cromwell Minister to Henry V111 ordered the closure of the chapel at the time of the reformation in 1538 and the removal of all sticks and crutches, the closure had little effect on Buxton’s reputation and the pilgrims still came but the water was taken without the religious overtones.

The ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots visited Buxton on several occasions during her imprisonment hoping to gain relief from the water to her rheumatism. She stayed at Buxton Hall now the Old Hall Hotel and in letters she wrote she speaks of some relief from her pain. Buxton now began to be included on the tour by a new kind of pilgrim the tourist, but the turning point for the Town came in the 18-century when the 5th Duke of Devonshire and his extrovert wife Georgiana, who were familiar with the fashionable resorts of Bath and Cheltenham decided to turn Buxton into the spa of the North. The Crescent and many of the fine building you see in town today were built at this time. Buxton became very fashionable with all the nobility of the time coming to “Take the Water”.

Sadly by the 1930 interest in spa treatments had faded and Buxton water was almost forgotten and little used. Only a very small amount was bottled and sold commercially. There was a change in 1987 when Buxton water was bought by Perrier UK and with a new bottling plant built near the source the brand began to appear on shop shelves world wide. Today Buxton natural mineral water is bottled in one of the most technologically advanced plants in Europe and is now owned by Nestle Water UK. Their support through sponsorship of all the flowers and plants for the Wells is very much appreciated.

There are now plans that will see the empty Crescent transformed into an 87-bedroom hotel and spa, in a 23 million development to be completed in 2009.

So with the reopening of Spa treatments, Buxton will again have the proud title Buxton Spa of Blue Water.