The history of ‘Buckby’ watercans
‘Buckby’ watercans, often seen on top of narrowboats, are highly decorated with painted scenes and flowers. The name ‘Buckby’ comes from the canal-side village of Long Buckby Wharf, Northamptonshire. Though, the ‘Buckby’ label is a 20th Century addition, and came about due to Matilda Woodhouse, a female canal-artist. Adopted as a young child, Matilda lived with her aunt and uncle at Long Buckby Wharf. Initially they ran the New Inn, before opening a wharf side shop where Matilda sold her painted work. Therefore, calling these water-carriers ‘Buckby cans’ is a recent addition to canal folklore, but the watercans do have a longer history.
The earliest written description of a decorated watercan comes from 1858. Back then a journalist, wrote about the painted watercan onboard the boat he travelled on. Painted cans probably go back further than this. Watercans were an essential piece of canal boat kit, as they carried the clean water for the crew. Today, of course, leisure narrowboats have integrated water tanks and don’t need watercans. But, these highly decorated pieces today remind us of the history of working canals and the lives of both women and men on the boats.
Watercan sizes
The carrying boats used 2 or 3 gallon watercans, but today not everyone has room for a large can. As a result, I paint a range of different sized cans and usually have a range of sizes in stock. So, do drop me a message to find out current available sizes. Alternatively, you are welcome to source your own can for me to paint.
Larger ‘Buckby’ watercans
Larger watercans make a real statement, they include a castle panel, sections of decoration plus an inscription. Consequently, it’s not surprising larger cans have found homes around the globe. I have posted watercans in all sizes to various places including: Australia, Norway, Switzerland and the USA. Obviously, you don’t need a boat to own a watercan, my cans have found their homes in gardens, inglenook fireplaces and on kitchen tables.
Repaints and restoration
Nowadays it is hard to buy new watercans. I am always happy to repaint or restore your own or one you have sourced. Often left outside, changes in temperature can cause paint to lift on watercans. In the past I have totally stripped cans to repaint them, or undertaken minor restoration work. Unfortunately, once the paint has begun to lift it is very hard to preserve the old paintwork. Contact me for more details.
Below, is a one gallon watercan that came to me for a full repaint. My customer wanted the painting to be as close to the original as possible.
Painted by Ron Hough the watercan below came to me with peeling paint on the top. I repainted the top section and re-finished the rest of the can.
To order
To order, simply contact me via email, Facebook, or Instagram, I usually respond within a couple of hours. I prefer payment by BACS transfer. Additionally, for larger cans I may require a deposit before beginning work.
Please note: full payment is due within 7 days of painting being completed. After this time additional charges are applied. Items can be collected by prior arrangement or posted at extra cost.
Recent watercans
Below are photographs of recent Buckby cans I have painted. Finally, please do check my Instagram feed (also on my home page) for my latest work.
