St Mary's Church and Six Wells, Tissington

A mini pilgrimage round the wells of Tissington, decorated at Ascension

Highlights

• Ancient well-dressing tradition at six wells

As early as 1350, the villagers of Tissington began to celebrate their five wells, dressing them with flowers to mark the festival of the Ascension. Freshly made garlands and displays are still placed around the wellhouses each year, continuing earlier well veneration and perhaps even pagan practices before that. These floral displays have made Tissington famous and much visited during the well-dressing festival. The flowers are kept in place for the week following Ascension Thursday.

Well dressing is actively promoted by the church, and at Tissington, the ceremony is blessed by the vicar. The floral arrangements, made by pressing petals into clay, depict people from the Bible and later church history.

Despite England’s long tradition of Christian activity at holy wells, not one of the springs in Tissington has a religious dedication. They are instead named Hall Well, Hands Well, Coffin Well, Town Well, Yew Tree Well, and Children’s Well (a recent addition to the original five).

One theory is that well dressing was introduced simply to give thanks for the provision of pure water, keeping villagers supplied during the worst years of the Black Death. Certainly, the vernacular names suggest the wells might have been celebrated for meeting the villagers’ material needs rather than any healing miracles. But we don’t know for sure.

The wells are all within a few minutes’ walk of each other around this small village. A free leaflet is available from a holder placed by Hall Well, which is opposite Tissington Hall. Just along from this well is the parish church, an early Norman building that sits square and heavy above the village.

The church has a 12th-century font with simple but moving carvings showing beasts and an Agnus Dei, the lamb of God holding a Celtic-style cross (with a circle around the arms). It is unusual to see Celtic and Roman symbols of Christ combined like this.

Directions

St Mary’s Church, Rakes Lane, Tissington DE6 1RA

W3W: inspects.drip.like

GPS: 53.0679N 1.7395W Hall well

Tissington’s wells are spread throughout the little village. The best starting point is the church and Hall Well, which is opposite Tissington Hall. The floral displays are blessed at 11am on Ascension Thursday, and remain in place until the evening of the following Wednesday. For this and other well dressing locations refer to: www.welldressing.com.