View of the Thames showing the York Buildings Water Tower and figures embarking at York steps

Westminster Bridge is shown from left to right leading to the Abbey, in front of which are the houses of the Countess of Portland, the Earl of Pembroke, Lady Townshend, Sir Thomas Robinson and Mrs Dunch. Continuing along the Thames, are the Office of the Board of Green Cloth and the Queen's Treasury, before the monumental Water Tower and York Stairs and York Water Gate, at the foot of Buckingham Street.
Samuel Scott (1702-1722) painted several views of the York Buildings Water Tower (see 'A Catalogue of the Works of Samuel Scott', The Walpole Society, XLVIII, London, 1982, p.54-55). Scott had established himself as the native specialist in London Thames views, and the arrival of Canaletto in London in 1746 gave fresh impetus to the demand for London views.