Stoney Middleton Well Dressing

It's `Well Dressing' time in Derbyshire at the moment (opening was last Saturday) and today we were in the village because Ann was singing in an Orthodox service dedicated to the `Blessing of the Waters' at the local Anglican church. The church is most unusual for the UK as the body of the church is ogtagonal in shape. Apparently the only other one in the country is in Teignmouth, Devon.

The village has a building known as the Roman Baths which is filled from a tank full of clear, clear water that keeps a constant temperature of 63 degrees F. (Quite amazing for winter!) The notice says there is no evidence of the Romans in the village, though a few Roman coins were found on the site. However, the same stream that probably supplies water to the baths is also the site of the commorative plaque. Talking to a local resident, on her way back from the service, I was assured that the waters have healing properties and that a deep scratch, inflicted by the stray moggy that she's given a home three weeks earlier, healed within two days of being dipped in the water.

Lots of blip possibilities on my visit today as I walked up the public footpath towards Eyam village. During the Great Plague, the 17th-century villagers of Stoney Middleton left food for those self-quarantined in nearby Eyam. The plague stone marks the half way point between the villages - in the top of the stone are small round holes where it's reported that the villagers of Eyam left money in vinegar to help prevent the spread of infection.

I'll probably re-write this in the morning when I'm a bit more with it.