The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border..
This film is part of Free
Ashford in the Water Well Dressing
Attention to detail, dedication and an artist's touch are needed to create the designs made from seeds and petals that go on to adorn the wells of Derbyshire.
From the collection of:
Overview
The village of Ashford in the Water is the location for this ambitious amateur production that records a custom practised in villages across the Peak District. Although suffering somewhat in the sound department, the vivid images more than make up for it: from the boards being soaked in the River Wye to the intricate task of adding thousands of petals and seeds to form the elaborate designs which, after a few short days, will again return to the waters of the river.
Well dressing is a tradition that stretches back to outbreaks of Bubonic Plague in the fourteenth century. The practise in the Derbyshire and Staffordshire Peak District is however more associated with nineteenth and twentieth century revivals. Ashford in the Water continues to provide a well dressing display as part of a Christian festival celebrated around Trinity Sunday.
Related
Watch for free
Once upon a Line Once upon a Line
Documentary 1947 10 mins
Model husbands prove that size isn't everything as they get steamed up over Lilliput locomotives
Watch for free
English Victory at Wimbledon English Victory at Wimbledon
Non-Fiction 1926 2 mins Silent Location: Wimbledon
Action from the 1926 Wimbledon Ladies' Singles final between Kitty Godfree and Lilí de Álvarez.
Watch for free
The Queen in Suffolk The Queen in Suffolk
Sponsored film 1977 19 mins Location: Ipswich
Flag-waving and fanfare in the warm July sunshine for the Silver Jubilee visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth to Ipswich and Felixstowe.
Watch for free
Wimbledon's Jubilee Wimbledon's Jubilee
Non-Fiction 1926 2 mins Silent
In June 1926 King George V and Queen Mary lead the celebrations for Wimbledon’s 50th jubilee.
Watch for free
Winning Wimbledon Winning Wimbledon
Sport 1955 13 mins
Highlights from the conclusion of the men’s and women’s singles at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships 1955
Watch for free
Queen o' the Border Queen o' the Border
Documentary 1949 10 mins Location: Hawick
Welcome to Hawick, pronounced 'hoik' by the locals. Here it's all holidays and hosiery!
Watch for free
Well Dressing in Derbyshire Well Dressing in Derbyshire
Amateur film 1953 10 mins Silent Location: Ashford in the Water
A tradition that binds together form and content, Christian and pagan, artist and artisan, the distant past to the present and future, and the local to the universally human.
Watch for free
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Watch for free
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Watch for free
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Watch for free
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
Watch for free
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Watch for free
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.