A busy scene of shipping on the Thames by the marine artist William Lionel Wyllie (1851-1931). This watercolour shows Irongate Wharf with the northern half of Tower Bridge to the left and the Tower of London beyond. A number of lighters, manoeuvred by lightermen with sweeps, negotiate paths around the cargo vessels using the Wharf. The work is signed 'W L Wyllie', lower right.

In 1854, the London, Leith, Edinburgh and Glasgow Steam Packet Company used Irongate Wharf as its London terminal. The wharf became the major London base for the General Steam Navigation Company, which operated regular cargo services to several European ports.