A view of the River Avon from Bristol from below the Observatory with Seawalls below and Cooks Folly beyond.

In superb condition and painted with a limited palette, but with great freedom and sweetness of touch, this is one of the most striking of Danby's watercolours. it is possible that much of it was painted on the spot with same careful washes of colour added later. Throughout, the structure of the landscape is clear, and depth and distance are converged with subtle variations of tone and colour.

In the distance the line of trees marking the far side of Durdham Down is seen against the Welsh hills which are outlined against the evening sky, to the left the sun catches the Bristol channel and, in the centre, sea walls. the ochre-red of the nearer cliff face can still occur in a muted form today but would have been much stronger in Danby's time, when the cliff face was being quarried. Two watercolours by Samuel Jackson from the same viewpoint show the rich colours of this cliff face at sunset. Both are especially close in style to Danby.