Roses placed at a well during the Bisley well dressing custom at Bisley, Gloucestershire.
First held in Thomas Keble established the tradition shortly after he had tidied up and formalized the village's main water supply in Wells Road, act of dressing wells with flowers has pagan origins, with its roots in the worship of the life-giving force of water but it could be that Rev Keble simply wished to mark the restoration of the wells. A similar ceremony takes place in the Derbyshire Peak District. A short Church Service is followed by a Procession to the Wells where wreaths and posies are laid. The eldest 22 children in the Bluecoat village school carry the wreaths and garlands that head the procession and form the centrepiece of the ceremony. These consist of Stars of David, the letters and the year, letters spelling out the word 'Ascension' and five hoops.
Size: 3407px × 5110px
Location: Bisley, Gloucestershire, UK
Photo credit: © Nick Turner / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ascension, bisley, bluecoat, bunch, card, ceremony, children, cotswold, cotswolds, custom, day, dressing, drop, england, english, festival, floral, flowers, gloucestershire, high, pink, posie, rose, roses, school, speed, tradition, water
