Canal crafts, canal artists, canalware & canal gift shops

One of the most attractive features of our canals is the colourful decoration of the boats and their equipment. That 'roses & castles' tradition survives today, not just on the canals but on prized possessions in homes throughout the world. We list canal crafts people who produce hand painted canalware and canal artists. Click for Boat Painters.

There have been plenty of suggestions and speculation about where 'narrowboat art' comes from, but no hard evidence. And it certainly did decorate, nearly everything. The drinking water can on the cabin roof was painted and decorated, as was the wash basin, cabin stool, headlamp, bucket and the horse's feed tin. Pictures and posies adorned the walls inside the cabin, the built-in furniture and the little doors that led into it.
Discover much more in our full section on Canal Folk Art.