Roses and Castles - Traditional Canalware

These pieces are items that were used on a daily basis by the working boatmen and women. They include the 'Buckby Can' (water can), which was only ever used for fresh water and was kept on the roof within reach of the steerer, and the Hand Bowls used for washing.
Both the items they utilised and the boats themselves, were highly decorated with flowers, landscapes and patterns in contrasting bright colours, which has been generically termed 'Roses and Castles'. This subject has been wonderfully covered in Tony Lewery's 'Flowers Afloat', as he describes the elements contained in a fairly structured tradition, and shows the great variety in styles of the boatyard and boatmen painters.
The roses in particular can often be recognised as being the work of a specific artist and the landscapes which were in the main castles but could be churches and other buildings, are again recognisable either to a boatyard style such as Poleworth or Braunston, or a specific painter like Bill Hodgson who began the 'Knobstick' style of roses at the Anderton boatyard,or Frank Nurser, one of the most well known masters.

It is those traditions that contemporary Canal Painters are keeping alive today, often under the expert tutelage of the current Masters,Tony Lewery, Phil Speight and Dave Moore. Courses are run at various times throughout the year, via the Waterways Craft Guild, privately or with demonstrations at the boatshows like Crick.