Bisley Well Dressing

Bisley well dressing is held on Ascension Day, the Thursday 39 days after Easter, when the children of the village school dress the wells on Wells Road with flowers. It begins with a service in All Saints church in the early afternoon, followed by a procession down to the wells. In 2026 it was on Thursday 14 May, with the service at 1.15pm; Ascension Day 2027 falls on Thursday 6 May, so that is when the next is expected, but the time is to be confirmed: the church sets it each year.

What happens

After the service the pupils of Bisley Blue Coat Church of England Primary School walk from the church to the wells on Wells Road with the vicar, the head teacher and a silver band, the Avening Silver Band in 2026. The oldest children wear the school's blue coat uniform. They carry flower-covered stars, numbers and letters spelling out ASCENSION and the year, made with the help of parents and grandparents, and these go up on the stone well-head. There is a short service at the wells with the band, then a community tea in the village hall, run by the WI.

It is a village occasion rather than a show. Anyone may watch from the roadside, and there is no charge. The procession is short and the lanes are narrow and steep, so come in good time and give the children room.

Getting there

Bisley is on the high ground between Stroud and Cirencester, a small village of narrow, steep lanes, so park with care and walk the last part. Cotswold Green's 8B from Stroud Merrywalks runs twice a day from Monday to Saturday, and in the October 2026 timetable the 12.40pm reached Bisley at about 12.55pm, in time for the service, with a bus back to Stroud from outside the Stirrup Cup at about 4.20pm; check the times before you set out. The Stirrup Cup is close to the church for a drink afterwards.

Where the custom comes from

The wells are a Gothic revival well-head with five spouts, listed Grade II, dated 1863 and built for Thomas Keble, the vicar, and restored in 1958. Keble began the dressing the same year as a thanksgiving for the village's clean water, and generations of the school's children have carried it on since. Well dressing belongs mostly to the Peak District, which makes Bisley's an unusual survival. Claims of a pagan origin have no source. The story of the wells, of Keble and of the Bisley Boy legend is in our well dressing article and the guide to Bisley.