Are you well dressed? part II

The area in which I live is predominately limestone country. This means that when the rain falls it quickly runs down the cracks and fissures in the limestone and into underground rivers and caves. In summer surface flowing rivers can vanish and before the advent of piped water and reservoirs, village dwellers were highly reliant on their communal well. One of these drying up could literally be in a dry summer a matter of life and death.


So important were these village wells that villagers held celebrations once a year to thank the Gods for a plentiful supply of water. The celebrations involve blessing the wells and ‘dressing’ them in flowers. I say Gods because many believe that today what is now a predominantly Christian festival has its roots in pagan times.

Each year boards of wood are thoroughly soaked in the local duck pond then smeared in mud. Into the mud are pressed flower petals, seeds, pine cones etc to make pictures and these decorated boards are used to dress the wells.

Each year the designs are changed to something considered to be topical.


Each well has its own name. This is the Children’s Well.


This is the main well. You can see the water at the bottom of the photo where people have thrown coins.


Fittingly the main well is opposite the Squire’s House.


Each year the well dressing draws big crowds – certainly since it was reported in the Alabama Gay and lesbian Chronicle, although not all residents are happy with the unwarranted intrusion.


Clicking on the photographs will give you some idea of how the boards are made. The petals are made to overlap so they easily shed rainwater.




This is the town well.


This one for obvious reasons is called The Coffin Well.


Many residents try to cash in on the occasion….


By selling all kinds of bric a brac


However, it was this little beauty that took my attention.

Well that's the end of the tour I hope you all now feel like well-dressed women.