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Well (sorry for the pun), but it is that time of the year again, the Tissington Well Dressings. The date for the opening of the Dressings falls on Ascension Day, this year Thursday 21st May. However, since I got involved, only my third year, the real marker is when the weather deteriorates and it gets cold again. This afternoon you could actually see your breath as you spoke. So out come the thermal long johns, blue silk this year, two thermal vests, a sweatshirt, apron and walking boots (not a pretty picture – so I haven’t inflicted one you). The apron is vital, because it is guaranteed that within 2 minutes of walking into the barn, via a very muddy field, you brush against the boards and get covered in clay – you can’t help but get messy – it’s like being a child again and I love it.

The Tissington Well Dressings are the oldest in Derbyshire (and certainly the best – not that I am biased). Some like Wirksworth were started in 1827 and several far more recently in the 1990’s like Hathersage & Whitwell. The exact date of Tissington’s is unclear, possibly dating back as early as the 14th century, when Tissington escaped the ravages of the Black Death or after the drought of 1615.

What we do know, is that there was written evidence in 1748 by Nicholas Hardinge, the Clerk of the House of Commons, (and of course if the information comes from the House of Commons it must be honest, reputable and true – sorry couldn’t resist the dig).

At Tissington, FitzHerbert’s village, we saw springs adorned with garlands; in one of these there was a tablet inscribed with rhymes, composed by the schoolmaster in honour of the fountains, which, as FitzHerbert informs me are annually commemorated upon Holy Thursday, the minister with his parishioners praying and singing over them.

The first day of creating the well dressings is all about the outline. Hours and hours of work have gone on before hand, but more of that another day. Today is all about ‘coffee beans’ and ‘black knobs’ – we just wish that all the knobs were the same size. For those of you not familiar with knobs, they are the cones from the alder tree, seen below.  Coffee beans, small and tricky all have to be placed the same way round, with the straight edge facing inwards.

We all worked well today, a hard core of about 7, with others dropping in for several hours throughout the day. The outline done, now comes the exciting bit (oh no that’s tomorrow) – now we start on the parsley. Each tiny head is picked off and then stuck in the clay using a small dibber or knitting needle. Just before I joined the rest doing this I was given the job of creating a wall of moss – great job because you cover so much space so quickly, a bit like building a wall, which is what this part of the design represents. Tomorrow, there’s lots more parsley to do, camomile heads and the start of the petals – the design should really start to take shape.

To read about Tissington Well Dressings Day 2 click here.