London: The Thames from Somerset House Terrace towards Westminster

The tall, dark tower just beyond the terrace, shaped rather like an obelisk, was made of wood. It belonged to the York Buildings waterworks, which raised water from the Thames to give pressure to the houses along the Strand, and it stood until 1829. Canaletto is looking upriver from the old Somerset House. The Banqueting House is half hidden by trees, and over the rooftops rise Westminster Abbey and the four towers of the church of St John's, Smith Square. Far off, the new Westminster Bridge crosses to the timber yards on the south bank. In his earlier views of the Thames he had looked down from high up. Here the eye sits almost at ground level, among working boats and two ornate barges. Hung beside its companion, which looks the other way towards the City, the picture continues the same broad curve of the river.