Malvern Spa Association All Souls Dressing of the Clock Tower, North Malvern Road, WR14 4LX, Saturday 28 October till Monday 13 November 2023.
The Clock Tower well will be dressed to celebrate All Souls. All Souls is half a year from the Well Dressing Festival and balances the May Day festival perfectly. May Day in the old ways is Beltane, the last of the three fertility festivals, with Samhain (pronounced saa-wain) being the last of the three harvest-time festivals. Samhain is known by some as All Souls or Hallows eve, as it is the night before the festival of All Souls Day on 1 November. Samhain is now more commonly known as Hallowe’en, which emphasises the “spooky” side, whereas for well dressers it is more a matter of offering a thankyou to loved ones who have passed. The well will be dressed during the period that includes Remembrance Day on 11 November. The theme of remembrance is reflected in the dressing of the North Malvern Clock Tower.
The building where the Clock Tower now stands was built in 1835 by Charles Morris, and housed tanks from which water was supplied to the local people. In 1843 Morris added the clock tower that we see today. The tower was restored in 2009 and the waters blessed in a ceremony on Sunday 3 May 2009. The Clock Tower is a majestic building with a strong presence on North Malvern Road, which is why the well dressing committee decided to dress it for All Souls.
Visitors to the well dressing are encouraged to hang a plain white ribbon on a small tree on the lawn in front. While inside the clock tower, they are asked to write and tie a note dedicated to someone special and spend some time in peaceful contemplation.
A formal blessing will be held on Thursday 2 November at 11:00 am by Revd James Williams, Curate of Malvern Link with Cowleigh, to mark All Saints’ day.
So please come to the Clock Tower and feel free to hang a ribbon and a note in memory of a special person. You can find more details on the Malvern Well Dressing Facebook Page, linked below.
Malvern Well Dressing Facebook Page
