Editing Well dressing (section)

==Process==

Wooden frames are constructed and covered with [[clay]], mixed with water and [[salt]].  A design is sketched on paper, often of a [[religious]] theme, and this is traced onto the clay.  The picture is then filled in with natural materials, predominantly flower petals and [[moss]]es, but also [[bean]]s, [[seed]]s and small [[conifer cone|cone]]s. Each group uses its own technique, with some areas mandating that only natural materials be used while others feel free to use modern materials to simplify production.

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths=180 heights=180 caption="Well dressings in counties around England">
File:Endon - Well Dressing - geograph.org.uk - 22352.jpg|[[Endon]], [[Staffordshire]], 2005
File:Dore Well Dressing 19-07-05.jpg|Dore, [[South Yorkshire]], 2005
File:Sutton Well Dressing 2007 - geograph.org.uk - 503979.jpg|Sutton, [[Cheshire]], 2007
File:Taddington Well Dressings 2009 - geograph.org.uk - 1461524.jpg|[[Taddington]], [[Derbyshire]], 2009
File:Hayslad Spout, West Malvern.jpg|Hayslad Spout, [[West Malvern]], [[Worcestershire]], 2016
File:Booths Well 2022 - geograph.org.uk - 7233596.jpg|Booths Well, [[Greater Manchester]], 2022
File:Whitwell well dressing display 2022 2.jpg|[[Whitwell, Isle of Wight]], 2022
</gallery>

Amongst the natural materials, [[lichen]]s play a role in well dressing due to their durability. Unlike flower petals that fade quickly, lichens maintain their colour and structure throughout the week-long display period. ''[[Parmelia saxatilis]]'', collected from [[gritstone]] walls, is commonly used in two ways: either with its undersurface exposed to create a velvety black effect, or with its upper surface visible to produce a dull grey tone for backgrounds and lettering. ''[[Xanthoria parietina]]'', gathered from [[limestone]] walls, is sorted to provide a range of colours from bright orange through yellow to green. Well dressers often have their own nomenclature for these materials; in some villages ''Xanthoria'' is known as "golden lichen" or "bronze moss", while ''Parmelia saxatilis'' is referred to as "grey lichen" or "silvery lichen". In villages such as [[Wormhill]] and [[Eyam]], lichens have been recorded as a component in depicting buildings and architectural details in the decorative scenes.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Vickery |first=A.R. |title=The use of lichens in well-dressing |journal=The Lichenologist |volume=7 |issue=2 |year=1975 |doi=10.1017/S0024282975000254 |pages=178–179}}</ref> 

[[File:Well Dressing Wirksworth 1860s.jpg|upright|thumb|Well or tap dressing in [[Wirksworth]] in the 1860s.]]

[[Wirksworth]] and [[Barlow, Derbyshire|Barlow]], both in Derbyshire, are two of the very few village well dressings where the strict use of only natural materials is still observed. In Wirksworth, the dressings use "only natural materials, e.g. flower petals, moss, lichen, fruit skins, [and] seeds", with no "manufactured" decorations.<ref name="Wirksworth 2011">{{cite web |title=Wirksworth Carnival: Well Dressing |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902124213/http://wirksworthcarnival.co.uk/index.php/well-dressing |website=Wirksworth |date=2011}}</ref> In Barlow, three wells (the main well around the village pump, the small or children's well, and the commonside well) are dressed, with scenes "made up of flowers, seeds, grasses (anything that grows really!)".<ref>{{cite web |title=Well Dressings |url=https://www.barlowcarnival.co.uk/what-s-on/well-dressings/ |website=Barlow Carnival |access-date=22 March 2025}}</ref>