Ripley - From Paper
To Petals
w/e 15 June 2008
All
this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490
At least once between May and September each year we like to
visit one of the towns or villages in Derbyshire where well dressings
are taking place. Many of them have several wells to dress but
in Ripley, about eight miles north of Ilkeston, there is only
one. The Town Hall though, overlooking the Market Place also
houses the Tourist Information Centre and this year in the week
prior to the Well Dressing Festival, there was a demonstration
and exhibition showing the techniques involved in producing these
works of art.
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The demonstrations were led by Jenny Anthony and her team from
Spiral Arts who also ran workshops as a community based project
with the help of many volunteers.
I've titled this page as "From Paper To Petals" and
this is the design and pattern for the well dressing as it was
envisaged on paper. The plan shows seven panels each of which
is worked on separately.
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The clay into which flower petals are pressed was kindly donated
by the Denby Pottery Company whose complex that includes a Visitor
Centre is nearby just to the south of Ripley. This image shows
one of the team working on the left hand panel.
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Another member of the team was working simultaneously of two
of the bottom panels. Flower petals, leaves and berries are used
to create the pictures but these are not the only things used
in the modern era. This year's design for example, included such
items as fish tank grit and kebab skewers - a far cry from when
well dressings were first created back in the mists of time.
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The team of four worked on the well dressings all week and on
Thursday morning when these images were captured, this particular
one above showing the right hand panel, there was still much
to be done before the weekend . They were helped during the week
by children from local schools, community groups and even visitors
from overseas including some from New Zealand and also a group
from the Isle of Wight.
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Everything had come together though by a damp and drizzly Saturday
morning when the Heage Windmillers Dancers gather outside the
Town Hall to give a demonstration of country and clog dances.
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Prior to the dancing, the well dressing had been blessed by the
Rev. Andrew Evans in the presence of the Ripley Town Mayor, Cllr.
Mrs Lyn Jones.
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And this is the finished article. The theme of this year's dressing
celebrates the 35th Anniversary of the re-opening of the Langley
Mill Canal Basin incorporating forty years of the Erewash Canal
Preservation and Development Association whose Chairman Mr Howard
Smith was also present at the blessing ceremony. All in all,
you could say that it's a job "well" done indeed!
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