Harthill Well Dressing 2017

Image: © Mike Nield Taken: 7 Jul 2017

Harthill, South Yorkshire The ancient custom of Well Dressing is the art of decorating springs and wells with pictures made from natural materials. The custom is almost unique to Derbyshire, but Harthill, being the southernmost village in Yorkshire, is only just outside the Derbyshire border and embraces the tradition too. The village Well Dressing Group make a mosaic picture each year for display at the well at the bottom of Doctor Lane. Using a flat moist clay base, flower petals and foliage are pressed into the clay to form the picture, which is then left at the well site for public viewing during the following carnival week. Each year the picture displays a different theme, with this year’s theme being Harry Potter. Being made from natural materials, well dressings only last for a matter of days, maybe up to a week, deteriorating gradually from the moment they are unveiled. Although I attended the opening ceremony on the Monday evening, there were just too many people milling around to be able to get a satisfactory photograph. It was four days before I was able to get there again and this time I had the place to myself, but sadly the deterioration process was already underway and some of the finer detail is lost.

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