Westminster Abbey and Bridge from Horseferry, Lambeth

British 18th century unknown

Oil on canvas

c.1770

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Art Collection

    At the lower right corner of this painting, well-dressed ladies and gentlemen wait for a boat on a jetty, on the bank of the River Thames. Spanning the Thames in the distance is the original Westminster Bridge.

    In 1738 engineer Charles Labelye was appointed to construct a bridge across the River Thames at Westminster. Westminster Bridge opened in 1750 and was, after London Bridge, only the second masonry structure to cross the Thames. (The present cast-iron bridge was constructed between 1854 and 1862.)

    It is not known when the ferry was established at Lambeth, but the earliest reference to it dates from 1513. In 1656 a ferry holding Oliver Cromwell’s coach, horses and servants sank while crossing the Thames. It was suggested that this was a bad omen. The right to collect tolls from the crossing belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury. This entitlement was confiscated during the Civil War but returned to the Archbishop after the Restoration. However, in 1750 the Archbishop was paid compensation when the first Westminster Bridge opened. It would eventually replace the ferry.

    Other views of the horseferry were painted by Jan Griffier the Elder (1706-10; Museum of London) and drawn by Johannes Kip (published 1697).

  • Explore
    Places
    England, River Thames, London, Westminster Hall, Horseferry, Westminster Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Lambeth, Westminster
    Subjects
    fishing boat, rowing boat, fisherman, topography, townscape/cityscape, British School C18th, river, ensign (ship), bridge (urban), harbour, abbey, cathedral, ship
    Materials & Techniques
    canvas, oil, oil painting
  • Details
    Artist
    British 18th century unknown
    Title
    Westminster Abbey and Bridge from Horseferry, Lambeth
    Date
    c.1770
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    height: 61.00 cm, width: 73.50 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from the Parker Gallery, May 1962
    Inscription
    caption: WESTMINSTER ABBEY AND BRIDGE / from the Horse Ferry, Lambeth, 1770. / ENGLISH SCHOOL, 18TH Century.
    GAC number
    5803