Ashford-in-the-Water Well Dressing & Flower Festival

Well Dressings in place for viewing: Ashford-in-the-Water, Saturday June 25th, - Sunday June 2nd

The Well Dressings run concurrently with a Flower Festival in Holy Trinity Church, Ashford-in-the-Water, , for which the theme is “On Stage and Screen” (open from 10.30 am - 7.00 pm daily).

The Sheepwash Demonstration: at Sheepwash Bridge on Saturday May 25th, approx. 3.00 pm.

• Well Blessing Service and Sermon at the Old Preaching Cross: Holy Trinity Church, Ashford-in-the-Water, DE45 1QG, Sunday May 26 2024, 3.00 pm, followed immediately by:
• Village Parade & Blessing of the Wells: Starts at Holy Trinity Church, Ashford-in-the-Water, Sunday May 26 2024, 3.30 pm.

To Make the Well Dressing, Villagers conduct the Puddling of Clay into Well Dressing Boards at Sheepwash Bridge on Friday May 17th, approx 5 pm. The base of each well dressing is clay smothered onto wooden slatted boards. These wooden well boards are put into the river and anchored down with stones a fortnight before Trinity Sunday.

The design for the well is drawn on paper to the size of the board and is then laid on top of the clay. The outline is transferred to the clay by pricking through the paper with cocktail sticks.

Once the background is completed the ‘petalling’ can start and the picture begins to take shape. Flowers with ‘hard’ petals, such as hydrangeas which will last the week are used.

The Petalling of the Well Dressing Boards can be found in various village locations: Saturday May 18th- Friday 22nd

Ashford in the Water is located between Bakewell and Buxton, off the A6.