Every May Day they hold a large gathering of canal narrowboats at Little Venice near Paddington in London. They also have stands from various canal organisations including the London Canal Museum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowboat

http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/

This year on the Canal Museum stand there were two canal boat-people we talked to there - a lovely lady and a guy - both born 'on the cut' from families who had lived and worked the boats going back four or so generations, at least to the 1900s.

This was an ideal moment to ask them about various issues relating to their former lives working the boats, carrying cargo.

The canal boat-people were a very insular community. They only very rarely married 'off the land' and the guy said that there was some inter-breeding between families. He offered that information quite freely.

I asked about wearing clogs. No way - they could afford them the lady said - [in the South] they usually had bare feet, especially the kids. Most families - who incidentally lived and slept in the rear cabin of the boat(s) in a space measuring 6ft by 7ft or less - had anything from 2 to 6 to 8 kids to help to do the work, handling the horse, working the locks, etc.

I asked about step dancing at canal-side pubs after tying up at night. They both said none that they knew, and certainly not in their families.

As an aside John Seymour in his book "Voyage into England" [David & Charles, 1966] briefly mentions step dancing at one pub he visited in the Midlands. But that's all I've heard of too.

Then we asked about music making and songs, especially those from the canal-boat families. None they said. What about sessions at a pub after tying up? None, they said, unless someone had a squeeze-box. The boats were worked for 14 hours a day, there was no time for music making. Only the men went to the pubs.

Where had all the so-called folk songs about life on the canals come from then. From the folk scene. Made up by those 'off the land.'

What about David Blagrove his canal-songs and the like? Hmm - well he saw a need for such songs and provided them. But they're not traditional.

I must visit the Museum and find out more.

Chris B.

- Sports & Recreation - 158