'View of Mr Perry's Yard, Blackwall'

A panoramic view of the Blackwall merchant shipyard on the Thames in the late 1790s. Shipbuilding at Blackwall began in the 16th century but was regularized when the East India Company developed a yard there in the early 17th. The company sold it around 1650 and from 1708 the Perry family of shipbuilders became involved there, later as its managing owners. It continued to build Indiamen, warships on contract and other vessels and by the late 18th century was the largest private yard in the world. In addition to wet and dry-docks, there were timber yards, saw pits, cordage works, rigging shops, draughtsmen's offices and foundries - all employing hundreds of craftsmen.

In this painting, the top of Blackwall Yard House, the Perry family home, can be seen to the left above the ships in dock, with the church tower of St Anne's, Limehouse, on the far left. Trees seen through gaps and to the right are reminders that the area behind was still fields. The distinctive building shown just right of centre in this painting is the Blackwall mast house, which stood from 1793 from 1862 on the south-western side of the Brunswick (or Perry's) Dock. This dock was excavated by John Perry to the design of an engineer called Pouncey between March 1789 and November 1790. It had two basins with separate entrances, one capable of holding 30 large Indiamen (immediately beside the mast house) and the other for a similar number of smaller vessels (on the far right here). The mast house was a crane for masting and de-masting ships. Masts themselves were made and stored in the low range of the building (on the left) and could be drawn up through a slot in the centre of the tower for lowering into vessels in the basin alongside. The mast house was also used for storing sails and rigging. Two small naval vessels and two naval cutters are shown in the Thames, just before the launch of a two-decker, which can be seen ready on the ways, flying launching flags. Just to its left, shown very small, the Admiralty Commissioners' barge is arriving for the launch, followed by a barge bearing a white ensign or possibly the City of London flag. The Trinity House flag and ensign are also flying on the dockside, and that of the East India Company on a brig-rigged Company yacht in the main basin. Other merchant ships, including Indiamen, are also shown in various stages of completion and repair, indicating the considerable building programme at this time.

The painting was produced by William Dixon, who lived at Rotherhithe and Limehouse and made a living painting marine pictures as well as portraits. The painting is signed 'W. Dixon' and dated either 1796 or 1798, the final figure being is unclear. Dixon exhibited a painting entitled 'View of Mr Perry's Yard, Blackwall' at the Royal Academy in 1796 (no. 338), suggesting that the earlier date may be correct. If so, the launch depicted might be that of the 56-gun ‘Coromandel’ on 9 May 1795. The ship was originally built as the East Indiaman ‘Winterton’ but purchased on the stocks by the Admiralty and renamed ‘Coromandel’ prior to launch. It has also been suggested that the painting represents the launch of the 74-gun ‘Kent’ at Perry’s Yard on 17 January 1798 (for the contract to build the ship, dated 1795, see ADT0061). William Daniell also painted and engraved an aerial perspective of the Brunswick Dock and masthouse, the print of 1803 being dedicated to John Perry; see BHC1867 and PAI7125.

After 1810, the Blackwall Yard became known as Green's yard, or Green and Wigram's, a half share having passed into the management of George Green, who married Perry's daughter, with the Wigram family holding the other half share. In 1843, it was physically divided when this formal partnership expired, though immediate use remained the same.