The Nelson on the Stocks, building at Woolwich in the Year 1814

Hand-coloured. During the Napoleonic War there was a huge expansion in shipbuilding at the Royal Dockyards on the Thames. The 'Nelson' - named after the hero of Trafalgar - was just one of many commissions. Peace brought a sudden collapse in orders and many dockyard workers in Woolwich and Deptford faced great hardship. From Cooke's 'Views on the Thames' .