Hand-coloured print, titled as above, from Dodd's 'Dockyard' set of six (1789-90). The subtitle states that 'This View, was taken near Torr Point, on the Western Bank of the River Tamer, at the time of his Majesty's Excursion to the Port, in August 1789'. Text then follows in two columns: 'This Yard is supposed to have been in an infant state in the Reign of King James the first; but like other Marine stations, has encreased to its present Consequence proportionably to the encreasing Grandeur of the Royal Navy. And if we consider the Magnitude of the Harbour, the capaciousness and durability of its Docks, (which are dug from a sollid bed of [second column]Marble the Rope Yard and every other convenience of a Marine Arsenal, together with it's situation in the Channel, it may be said to be superior to all others in the Kingdom, or probably in the World.[ /] Publish'd Septr 1st 1790, by J. & J. Boydell, Cheapside, & at the Shakespeare Gallery, Pall Mall, London.' The artist inscription, lower left reads 'Drawn and engraved by R. Dodd'.

Dodd did two series of dockyard and seaport prints, easily confused in image terms. The early and slightly smaller unnumbered Royal Dockyard set was published by Boydell, comprising Blackwall (though not a Royal yard but see below) and Deptford (PAH9746) issued on 25 March 1789; Woolwich (PAH9725) and Chatham (PAH9714) on 29 October 1789; Plymouth (PAH9767) on 1 September 1790 and Portsmouth (PAH9742) on 1 November 1790. The larger numbered ones in a series called 'a Collection of the Sea Ports & of the River Thames' were published by Freeman on 4 June 1793: no.1 Greenwich (PAI7098 from his 1792 oil, BHC3867), no. 2 Limehouse (PAI7128), no. 3 a view of the river and shipping near the Tower of London (not in NMM: copy in BM), and no. 4 Dover (PAI7087).

While Blackwall was a civilian yard, it built many navy ships and Dodd's view of it (PAH9724), published with that of Deptford in March 1789, shows the launch of the 74-gun 'Bombay Castle', a warship built for the Navy as a gift of the East India Company. This, and to make a projected set of six rather than five, is presumably why it was included in the otherwise naval dockyard group. [PvdM 10/05, amended 1/16]