Welcome to - Barlow Well Dressings
The wells are blessed every year on the Wednesday after the second Sunday in August and marks the start of a week of activities not the least of which is the Carnival Parade on the Saturday. |
11th - 18th August 2021
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Well-dressers, Hospital Sunday and Carnival |
The 'art' of dressing wells with flowers probably goes back to pagan times - a thank you to the gods for the gift of fresh water. Although well dressing is peculiar to Derbyshire and the Peak District examples can be found in Staffordshire, South Yorkshire and Cheshire. There is no definitive way to dress a well, although similar, methods of preparation and decorating vary from village to village. Extract from a letter dated 1908, written by Mary Haslam to her daughter Anne Lomas:- Barlow Lees, August 13th "Me & Aunt Sarah rode with them last night to see the well. Mabel and their children walked across the fields to Barlow, the trap would not hold us all. Mr Wells fetched us back. The well looks very pretty both at Barlow & Commonside" |
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An evening picture from 2009 |
1908
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Maypole Dancers and Village Band in front of the Main Well 1906 |
Main Well Dressing 1906 |
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