"The view is from the roof of Fishmongers Hall where the artist 'used the seven foot balustrade to rest the watercolour sketch.... To add height to his own 6 ft 4 ins he mounted a table where he remained standing from 8:30 in the morning until a late lunch. In those five hours he made three watercolours. They are the preliminaries for a large panorama he has been commissioned to paint by John Mowlem, the contractors who built the bridge' (Sunday Telegraph).

The bridge was opened by H.R.H Queen Elizabeth II in 1973; the original bridge built in the 1830s was bought by the Americans and re-constructed at Lake Havazu City, Arizona in 1971. Under the distinctive red and white awning can be seen the figure of the Late Queen Elizabeth II. It is a scene that is brought to life in contemporary footage of the opening, held by British Pathé: 
https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/128582/