Roses and Castles

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Roses and Castles
Tray painted in the traditional Roses and Castles style
Years activec. 1858–present
LocationUnited Kingdom
InfluencesFolk art, Romani art

Roses and Castles is a style of art used to decorate narrowboats and their fittings. As well as depicting roses and/or castles, the designs often include other flowers and landscapes.[1]

History

Floral designs may predate those incorporating castles by almost 30 years

Origins

The style of Roses and Castles likely developed in the 1850s, approaching the decline of the

dog-rose design painted by one boatman (or his family) and grew from there; alternatively, it has been noted that the garland of roses design bears resemblance to decorations applied to Sheraton furniture at the turn of the 19th century.[6] It is probable that the design originated from the Birmingham and Black Country area.[7] The use of roses predated the addition of castles; the earliest recorded use of castles in narrowboat decoration is from 1873.[8]

Application

Many boatmen (and their families) spent significant time on narrowboats and barges, and the artwork became a source of pride as well as individuality.[1] One theory suggests that the amount of time families spent on the canals meant they were undereducated and became ostracised from society, and so the artwork became their "proud statement of separateness, self esteem, and a traditional way of doing things".[2] The art would be applied at the expense of the boatman rather than the boatowning company, who would have ensured the boat was dressed in company livery. Items typically painted in the roses and castles style include internal furniture and fittings, as well as the boat's headlamp and water cans.[9][10] In The Inland Waterways of England, L. T. C. Rolt described how boatmen would gladly decorate any part of their vessel in "fabulous castle scenes with garlands of roses", and compared the painted boats to "the decorated poop of an Elizabethan galleon".[11]

An early description of the style referred to it as "the great teaboard school of art", a pejorative comparison to cheap tin trays popular at that time.[9] John Hollingshead described the style in Household Words as "fanciful composition landscapes [and] several gaudy wreaths of flowers".[4]

Design

The insides of the stern doors are adorned with castles, and the Buckby Can on the roof is decorated with roses

Links have been drawn between roses and castles and German, Dutch and Asian folk art, as well as a striking resemblance of Romani Gypsy caravans.[1] Robert Aickman described the design as being "brighter and gayer of anything else of the kind now to be found in England", and recognised that it served to advertise waterways.[12] Boat painting was often undertaken by dock and wharf workers, and the styles of particular dockyards—such as those at Polesworth and Braunston—were uniquely identifiable.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Canal folk art". Canals and Rivers Trust. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b Lewery, Tony. "Canal Folk Art - its roots". Canal Junction. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. ISBN 0-7153-6771-4
    .
  4. ^ a b Lewery (1974), p. 26.
  5. ^ Lewery (1974), p. 27.
  6. ^ Lewery (1974), p. 30.
  7. ^ Lewery (1974), p. 37.
  8. ISBN 0-7153-9940-3
    .
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4456-2327-6
    .
  10. ^ "Historic Narrow Boat Features". www.waterways.org.uk. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  11. ISBN 978-0043860069
    .
  12. ^ Robert Aickman (1955). The Story of Our Inland Waterways. I. Pitman. p. 54.
  13. ^ Lewery (1974), p. 110.

External links

Media related to Roses and castles at Wikimedia Commons

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