Travelling Back Home.~ Well Dressings~

Please click the photo’s to enlarge.

I travelled back to the place I grew up last weekend. It brought back so many memories for me. Of a time when I was a young girl with no idea of where life would take me.

Each Sunday I would walk the 15 minutes  distance of the village from our home to walk up to the Chapel where we would go to Sunday School in the Methodist Chapel.  Often we would walk it twice a day on Sunday as we went to afternoon service and evenings on a special occasion, such as Easter or Harvest Festivals..

I  being the eldest of 5 siblings  would  lead my bother and 3 sisters by the hand as we would  Sing in the choir, often being the only choir some weeks. I often think we were made to go, just so as my Mother and Father could get some peace for a couple of hours.

Old Methodist Church Stoney Middleton Now a private Dwelling

 

On my revisit last weekend I walked that same distance, today however the chapel is no long a place of worship  but converted into a private dwelling.

At one time I would have been able to name every one who lived in our village by name.  Now apart from a few relations and old family’s  still there  most are  now strangers,  

 

Below is where I did the Maypole dance when I was a child with the village junior school. Weaving in and out holding coloured ribbons we would dance in front of the Parish Church St Martin’s. Bunting was spread out between the houses as it is now. We would practice long hours at  Stoney Middleton Primary  School so as we would not get our ribbons all twisted wrongly as we made our webs and patterns  with the ribbons around the Maypole as the boys and girls skipped around.. 

The Nook was where I would do the Maypole as a child

 Back then the older children of the village were allowed to help make the boarders of the main Well Dressing, while the adults created the main body of the wells. I am unsure as to how the village now organises its creation.

So what is a Well Dressing?  

Stoney Middleton Well Dressing 2016

A Well Dressing is an old custom that the Village of Stoney Middleton has now been taking part in for the last 80 years. It is the Thanksgiving for the Spring water supply that dates back to ancient times of 1600 BC when the Peak District was occupied by a tribe of people called the Brigantia’s  who took their name from Brigantia ( the Holy One ) a Goddess who was a protector that formed a bridge between the Spiritual and Material Worlds.  Below her lay many lesser’] ‘Deities’ who were believed to be embedded in stone and Trees. The most special of these were the Rowan and the Oak trees. But also Water that sprung from the wells from out of the Limestone and grit-stone was revered

Many of these Springs were warm.. And the one in Stoney Middleton  pictured here with this beautiful  Woodpecker which my nephew  designed Here  is a Thermal Spring. ..

Well-Dressings over Natural Spring. This Thermal Spring feeds the old Roman Bath House the temp’ of the water is a constant 63 degrees.

 These springs were thought to come from the fiery underworld. The Spring Here is a constant temperature of     63 Degs even in winter. And today as back in my  younger days, many of the villages would take there cars to the trough that overspills onto the road leading to the cemetry and wash their cars in warm water.

So back in those ancient times effigies were placed along with offerings near these caves and springs as the water was felt to have healing properties .  Which led to the wells being dressed on May the 1^st as an offering to the spring festival of Beltane  as springs of flowers and branches would be left to honour Spring. The custom progressed within the  Christian Churches  which is carried on today called Well Dressing Week.

Children’s Well-Dressing made by the village school children. This years theme is Noah’s Ark

Many of the villages grow flowers in their gardens and allotments specifically to collect the petals and leaves.. The frame is made and filled with clay mixture.. When I was a child the adults would soak the clay in the local brook. And Everyone would have to work quickly, often we as children would carefully peel the petals so they were separated and we were allowed to do certain parts.. While the main picture was done by the adults who knew what they were doing. All of this is done voluntary.

 

Events are scheduled throughout the village week.. With Tug of War,  Brass Bands, Maypole Dancing, Treasure Hunts, Cake stalls and competitions, while others have made cards, sell plants, and seeds and all proceeds are shared out among village projects  and charities.

Below you can see the separate Petals used, and the seeds, pebbles, bark, leaves and stems used to create the Picture forming the Well Dressings.

Blue-tit created from petals and feathers , Bark is also used to create the tree branch.

Woodpecker.. My Nephew designed this particular one.

The water here is a constant 63 degrees

Welldressings over Natural Spring This spring feeds the old Roman Bath House the temp’ of the water is a constant 63 degrees,

The Junior School created this well of Noahs Ark

A closer view of the animals

Elephant in Sunflower seeds embedded into the clay

Here you can see how small pebbles have been used

Children’s Welldressing made by the village school chidren. This years theme is Noah’s Ark

Petals create this bird each a separate piece to create the whole.

Two Bluetits made of petals

Here is the restored Roman Bath House..

Roman Bath House Stoney Middleton

Looking inside, a grid has been placed inside now for safety reasons. as the water from the spring runs through it

 More can be found here about the Roman Baths and Stoney Middleton HERE

We walked around some of the village reminiscing as we went . Here I used to walk to the shop which was at the time of my childhood one of two in the village. We also had a Post office and 3 Pubs back then.. Sadly this is the state of the front of the Old shop now..  There are no shops or Post Office in the village now.. The nearest shop and post office is in the next village or local Town..  And there is only now One Pub left in the village which is the Moon Inn.. which is steeped in its own History and Dark Past which can be found HERE.  A sad state of the times as people bought the house attached to the back but as yet have let the front shop fall into decay. 

Old shop and One time Post office

Before we left we went to say goodbye to some old family and friends who are  no longer with us but who are close to us in spirit, And I said good bye as I reflected how quickly these last 41 years have sped by since I left the village for good when I got married in 1975..

Reflections of a time so loved..

If you want to find out more and see more of past well dressings you can see the progress of how one is made then click the link  Here

All Above photo’s were taken by myself

Source’s:

http://stoneymiddletonwelldressing.org/Gallery/building_a_well/

http://www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/stoneymiddleton.htm

 

Another Year~ Childhood Memories

May is upon us already.. and with it another year for me draws to its completion.. As I mark another year to my calendar today. The Month of May begins for me with a Celebration of memories.. May is the time when blossoms bloom, and bluebells flower.

I look back within my mind at my childhood, my youth and now my autumn years.. As I see the many changes which unfolds within a life time..I reflect today the many colours which have contributed to my life.. And like the Maypole ribbons each one woven in their own unique colours as they streak through my mind.. Some clear, while others have blown away in the passing of time.

May brings back memories of many birthdays and as I sit and pen this post of memories, I see myself aged 7 dancing the May-Pole in my Village of Stoney Middleton with one of the rare new dresses I would have to wear.. As my Aunt would buy us all a new Easter outfits just once a year. ( as my parents were not so well off ), which often would be miles too big.But I remember well this day in May as I danced with glee, for my dress in poker-dots of blue velvet on white net, like a ballerinas gown was my pride and joy.. I was a princess that day ~I remember lining up in the church vestry waiting to skip out onto the Nook in a line on cue to music, as we took our positions and picked up our ribbons from the boys who stood in the middle keeping the pole sturdy. ~ It mattered not that day that my dance partner a boy, who when we danced over and under went the wrong way and we all got entangled as we skipped our way around the central circle Pole. And our teacher came to our aid as we untangled ourselves..

We would as children gather our mothers bluebells from the valley and later it would be Lilies of the Valley.I can still smell their perfume as I see the images within my minds eye as we would tie them into the small circles of Posies .

My brother would get into trouble for climbing trees, to look into birds nests. But then we all climbed and swung on trees making rope ladders and swings and dens in the wood. We skipped over the meadows picking the many large Moon Penny Daisies and Buttercups and jumped the local brook. I remember being chased off private land near our local small private Middleton Hall by their Gardener..The same Hall that held garden parties for the village on Wakes week, when the Wells were Dressed with the Wells Dressings , with WI stalls of home made cakes and jams. The Tombola stall, and the Lucky Dip..And roll a penny.. Tug of War completions in fancy dress.. Morris Dancing’s, And how All the villages pulled together..

And we would help the local Farmer at harvest time with haymaking, taking two or three of us at a time to drag the square bales of hay into piles for the tractor to collect..

Dad would catch wild rabbits and we would get Rabbit stew on the menu quite regular.. Meat was expensive but we had Pheasants and partridges too, Living near to Chatsworth House my Dad knew someone who when they had their game shoots, the birds which were too badly shot damaged would go cheap.. I remember well sat around the table and Dad saying ‘chew well’, as we all spat out the led shot pellets as they clanked on our plates..

I often find some of those early memories are clearer in my mind than that which I did yesterday…..

May is a special month of the Year.. And just wanted to share a few childhood Memories .. As I Look back today.

Sue Dreamwalker

The Community ~Where is it Today?

Looking back over the photos of yesteryear Its hard to understand how you come to the place you are today. Many things happen within everyone’s families that either bring them closer together or drives them apart. And the same goes for whole communities but we call this progression as we embrace a more modern way of living.

In my post Horsing Around My Village  which took me back down memory lane as I recalled my early childhood and gave a glimpse into Village life  in the Derbyshire Peak District. It got me thinking how when I was in junior school probably age 9 or 10 We made a model of the whole village using matchbox’s stuck together all shapes and sizes.. Each of us had to make our own home out of a matchbox  and paint etc. While our teacher who was also the headmaster of our school Mr Paddley created a huge Map of Stoney Middleton  out of Plywood in which we could stick our homes next the roads, fields etc. which he had painted.

We carefully placed our homes upon the map alongside our famous fish and chip shop which at the time was run by a lovely lady called Eleanor.. Who would give you the scraps for nothing to us kids that would hang around on the nights it was open.Somehow I cant see that happening today…. Hummm,  I can smell that chippy now .. Its still there and is still a chip shop in the Toll Gate house.. Which was built in 1840 as a Toll House to collect dues from travellers on the old Turnpike road .

Anyhow my point is that this Matchstick Village we created we were able to name everyone who lived in our village and we did what I suppose you would call our own school Census that term as we were able to count how many people lived in our Village..Today I think there are around 750 people who live there today , but in my day I remember I could name every household member.. 

There were 3 Pubs back then the Grouse Inn, The Royal Oak and the Moon Inn…Today only the Moon Inn has survived.. There were 3 shops, Arnolds, Dysons, and Nettleships..Two Butchers both named Hancocks  one at the top of the village hill which adjoined his farmhouse and one at the bottom of the village, these shops were named after their owners surnames.. There was also a Post Office and local Barber who had a wooden shed at the bottom of his Garden..The ladies of the Village had to travel to the next Village Calver Sough to get their hair done in another wooden hut..

Today there are now No shops in the village and No post office the only remaining shop in the village today is the FarmShop which used to be Hancock’s Butchers and the chip shop .

Stoney Middleton Well-Dressings I see my Grandmother and Aunts and Uncles in this photo,but I don’t know which year it was taken.

It brings home to me how our Communities have changed. I had to move away from my own village when I got married as there were no new homes that were being built and the ones that were for sale the younger generation couldn’t and still can’t  afford to buy in the Derbyshire Peak, so City Business people came in and bought up the homes as old Villages passed away..some using as homes with others using as Holiday cottages. And now neighbours are strangers today and we lock the doors behind us when we come home.  We no longer communicate to each other as we scurry around our daily lives trying to earn a living so we can buy the next gadget advertised on the TV and give our Kids what we never had..All in the name of progress..

Jobs are scarce for the younger generation.. Gone are the days you could turn up at a place of work and be set on the next day as an apprentice and learn your skill from the bottom up. Manufacturing Industries have taken the bulk of their work overseas leaving us with less employment, and ALL of it for Profit and Greed. The youth of today are bored and Jobless and so turn to other means to entertain themselves.. And many elderly people are fearful of passing youngsters who now congregate together on street corners, and who dare to challenge the authorities and their elders knowing they can’t be touched if under age so grow up with no discipline or respect.

We have become a society ruled by debt in order to obtain Material goods we cant afford to pay for.. We have become societies of Greed.. as we put possessions before people.

We all of us have come to experience the Material World on the Earth Plane, but along the way of gathering those possessions we have lost the community spirit. In fact we have lost Our Spirit and our connection to each other and nature as we take everything for granted.     

Last winter we had the coldest winter with heavy snow for at least 50 yrs here in the UK… On our street many neighbours joined together and spoke for the first time to each other in years as they rallied around and helped each other dig out our road of snow. But it took a crisis to bring about that Unity of pulling together to help one another.

This is why Changes are in the air, we all feel it, Sense it, as weather patterns alter, as Nations rebel against their tyrant leaders, as the Monetary issues cannot possible carry on the way they are…As we see the Crisis with the Euro coming to a head. 

Our World needs to change…We are the Communities so we are the ones who need to look, really look at ourselves and realise the Change starts with Self..  This is why many are now saying enough is enough and starting to speak out.

WE have got to change .. And that is why we cannot sustain living within this Zone of  Material Greed putting Possessions First..

We have to start and put People First… and bring back a Caring Community who works together in unity and harmony….For if we don’t the Chaos we will generate is unthinkable. 

 

© Sue Dreamwalker – 2011 All rights reserved.