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

Etching from Cooke's 'Views on the Thames' showing HMS 'Nelson' (1814) near to completion at the Royal Dockyard in Woolwich in 1814. The image shows the bow and starboard side of the vessel surrounded by scaffolding with men working on her final fitting out. One team carries a decking plank up a ramp to where another length is being hauled up to an open gun port. Four flag staffs are erected on the top deck in preparation for the lauch ceremony. On a gantry in front of the bow, a man operates a rope hoist while other figures stand on the foredeck above the figurehead of Nelson. Planks lie in the left foreground and, to the right, a wooden-wheeled cart delivers more timber. A couple with a child stand at the foot of the ramp and a large crowd is gathered at the top on a viewing platform under the stern gallery. The river and a row of dockside buildings can be seen in the background.
This impression, alongside two others, features printed letters for the inscriptions. One other impression, probably the prime version, exhibits scratched letters (PAD6093).

Object Details

ID: PAD6094
Collection: Fine art
Type: Print
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Francia, Francois Louis Thomas; Cooke, William Bernard
Vessels: Nelson (1814)
Date made: 1 Jul 1815
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Mount: 157 mm x 239 mm