Etwall

This charming place has a fine range of Georgian buildings including some almshouses known as the Port Hospital Almshouses, built by Sir John Port, the founder of nearby Repton College. The almshouses, fronted by wrought iron gates made by Robert Bakewell of Derby, were rebuilt in 1681 and recently restored again. Until the 1960s, almsmen and women wore special hats or bonnets and a dark blue cloak with a silver clasp.

The original site of Etwall Hall, where Sir John lived, is now the site of a large comprehensive school, which bears his name. For a village that derived its name from ‘Eata’s Well’, it seems strange that Etwall only took up the custom of well-dressing recently and by chance. To mark the centenary of the village primary school, the teachers dressed a token well while the Women’s Institute, with the help of people from two villages within the Peak District, dressed the only true well in Etwall, Town Well. This was in 1970 and the event, in mid-May, was so successful that it is now an annual occasion and a total of eight wells are decorated.

As there is no long-standing tradition of well-dressing in the village, the themes for the dressings are not the more usual Biblical subjects but have covered a wide range of stories and ideas, including racial unity and the life and times of Sir John Port. Etwall is also the most southerly village to take part in the custom of well-dressing and its position, well below the harsh uplands of Derbyshire’s Peak  District, has ensured that there is always a good supply of flowers, even though the dressing takes place late in spring. Etwall Well Dressings is a popular event. There are eight well-dressing sites around the village to visit plus a ‘Have-a-go’ tent, where visitors can try their hand at making a well-dressing. The event also includes a variety of family entertainment like traditional dancing, musical entertainment, puppet shows, a dog show competition, a scarecrow competition, a hog roast, ‘village fete’ stalls, an owls display and much more.

The Parish Church of St Helen has some stonework of the 13th century and earlier, though the building was largely rebuilt in the mid-16th century after a great storm damaged it. It was restored in 1881 and has a monument to Sir Arthur Cochrane, who died in 1954 and was the Clarenceux King of Arms, an officer of the College of Arms who looked after the armorial bearings for the south of England.