Roses With Knobs On! Knobstick Roses - canal art with Phil Speight

Roses With Knobs On! Knobstick Roses - canal art with Phil Speight

A comprehensive and hands-on weekend course painting the 'knobstick' style of canal rose, with expert canal artist Phil Speight MBE

By The Poetic Licence

Date and time

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 10:00 - Sun, 20 Jul 2025 16:00 GMT+1

Location

Bollington Wharf

Grimshaw Lane Bollington SK10 5NB United Kingdom

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 30 days before event

About this event

  • Event lasts 1 day 6 hours

This weekend course with Phil Speight (recently awarded an MBE for his services to heritage crafts) gives you a chance to delve deeply into the practice of painting authentic canal roses, of the sort that decorated traditional narrowboat cabins. Please note this is a two-day course running both Saturday and Sunday. It's a very small class - there will be only three of you - so plenty of time for hands-on practice and conversation.

Phil Speight is one of the best known practitioners of canal art, whose work has regularly featured in books and museum exhibitions, as well as on hundreds of narrowboats and in a Guardian photo feature - click here to see him at work. Feedback for Phil's courses here is excellent and affectionate. One student says: "Phil was a lovely relaxed teacher who teaches in what I can only describe in a anti perfectionist, true and fun way.... Would recommend to anyone interested in learning!"

Lunch each day, and all the materials you need, are included in the weekend. Accommodation is not included but Macclesfield (with its tempting Travelodge!) is ten minutes' drive away. Places are limited to only five, so book soon - for yourself or as a gift for the canal person in your life.

Book and pay here on Eventbrite. Let us know if you have dietary or access requirements!

Organised by

The Poetic Licence runs poetry events and others across the UK.

£195