In this watercolour, Wyllie has depicted a collier berthed at the jetty at Beckton Gas Works. Vessels such as this carried coal from the north of England to East London. After mooring at the jetty they were unloaded. Hydraulic cranes were used to fill trolleys with coal that were then conveyed along the jetty to the works. In the background, one of the large gasometers at the Beckton works can be seen. These were used to store the gas produced at the works prior to its distribution. The gasworks closed in 1969 and lay derelict for many years. The area has now been redeveloped into housing.