Well Dressing

For the past seven years Chadkirk Chapel has dressed its well. A well that is believed to date back to Celtic times, and the age of St Chad, the 7th Century Bishop of Lichfield.

Chadkirk's well dressing forms part of the Chadkirk Festival at the end of July each year.

What is a Well Dressing?
At its simplest, well dressing is the art of decorating springs and wells with pictures made from organic materials. Well dressing may date back to the Celts.

Chadkirk Chapel is one of a number of places outside Derbyshire that dresses its well.

Creating a Well Dressing
It starts with a wooden frame about 2 feet wide, over an inch deep and as high as a tall man.

The frame holds 6 boards, all of which are filled with soft, wet clay. The artist brings the design, based on themes appropriate to Chadkirk, drawn full size on thin paper, and smoothes it over the clay..

Then the picture is outlined onto the clay either by 'cutting out' the paper with a knife or 'pricking out' the design onto the clay using needles and peppercorns.

Once the outline is finished the picture is 'coloured in' using a variety of materials.

At Chadkirk, a team of local ladies from all corners of the Borough of Stockport, comes together to work on the creation of Chadkirk's well dressing. Flower petals, onion skins, chamomile, tree bark, cloves, laurel berries and seeds are just some of the natural materials used to bring the picture to life.

This year's Well Dressing commenced on Tuesday 22 July
Come and watch Stockport's local ladies in action, working tirelessly together to create a masterpiece of imagination and colour. You will be amazed at the skill of the well dressers and you can even have a go yourself if you're feeling creative!
For more information about visiting the preparation of the well dressing please see the 'Calandar of events'

The finished dressing is then displayed at the Holy Well for all to see on the last weekend of July, coinciding with Chadkirk's Annual Summer Festival which attracts over 4,000 visitors each year.

Please see ' Chadkirk Festival' for more information.

The well dressing is blessed by a local clergyman and declared officially open by the Mayor on the first day of its display to the public.