Boaters who lived and worked on the narrowboats of the canals were, like the rest of mankind, people who tried to make their homes as comforable and decorative as they could. The boat cabins were small but were bright with paint, and the and the `roses and castles` decorations of the canal boats are a true English folk art. The boatwomen were competent at needlework, embroidery and crochet and used all of these to embellish their families` clothes and surroundings.