View of Tothill Street with Westminster Abbey beyond; and View of Gracechurch Street with the Monument and the church of St. Magnus the Martyr beyond

Frederick Nash was born in Lambeth and continued to live and work in London until 1834, when he moved his family to Brighton where he remained until his death. From the very beginning of his career he favoured architectural subjects, particularly Westminster Abbey, which found favour with contemporary artists such as Benjamin West P.R.A. (1738-1820), Sir Thomas Lawrence P.R.A. (1769-1830) and J.M.W. Turner R.A. (1775-1851) who is said to have considered Nash to be the finest architectural artist of his day.