Putney Bridge and Village from Fulham

Putney Bridge was built by William Cheslden in 1729, from a revised design by Sir Jacob Acworth, and was to remain in place until the present stone bridge was built in 1882-6 by Sir Joseph Bazalgett. Putney Bridge was the first bridge upstream of London Bridge before the opening of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the toll-house, situated on the Fulham side, charged a penny for foot passengers and up to two shillings for vehicles. The bell under the toll-house roof was used to warn of approaching highwaymen. The old Swan Inn, where the bridge commissioners held their first meeting in 1726, can be seen on the far right. The parish church of St Mary and the riverside houses of Putney can be seen concentrated around the approach to the bridge and to the left the windmill in the following parish of Wandsworth is depicted.

This painting may be based on the engraving after J.B.C. Chatelain, published in 1750, which depicts this precise view. A version of the picture is in the Museum of London.