Canal ware is the decorated equipment and pottery associated with the narrowboats of Britain's inland waterways. The term covers painted tinware such as water cans, dippers and bowls, painted wooden stools and boxes, and the brown-glazed teapots known as bargeware, all decorated in the bright folk style traditionally described as roses and castles.
Canal painting developed in the nineteenth century among the families who lived and worked aboard narrowboats, whose cramped cabins were brightened with painted panels, brass ornaments and lace-edged plates. Typical motifs include bunches of stylised roses, romantic castles beside water, diamonds and geometric borders in red, green, yellow and white. The large teapots with applied flowers and birds and often a personal inscription or motto on a small plaque are associated with Measham, where many were sold, although they were made in the surrounding south Derbyshire area. Collectors value early pieces with honest wear, original paint and inscriptions, and are wary of the many later souvenirs and repainted items. Canal ware has strong appeal for those interested in social history and adds cheerful colour to cottage kitchens and garden rooms.
