Each year the six wells in this Derbyshire Dales village are decorated as part of a tradition rooted in medieval times.
The tradition is called ‘well dressing’ and to mark the occasion the residents of Tissington decorate the wells with colourful designs made from natural materials.
It attracts around 35,000 visitors to Tissington each year – which itself is only home to one hundred residents.
Villages all across Derbyshire celebrate well dressing, but Tissington’s tradition is special because their tradition dates back to the Black Death.
It is believed that the wells’ constant supply of fresh water protected the village from the worst of the plague, while neighbouring villages were decimated.
Ever since then residents have commemorated the wells in one form or another and for the last few hundred years it has taken the form of well dressing.
Tissington well dressing week starts on Ascension Day – marking Jesus’ rise to heaven forty days after Easter.
After a church service clergy blessed the wells one by one with a short prayer and a hymn.
Some of the well dressings reflect the Christian origins of the tradition, while others take a more modern approach.
These included cartoon classics like Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear and Wallace and Gromit.
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