A view of Hudson's villa on the Thames at Twickenham

Scott was interested in life on the Thames and made numerous sketches and drawings of the river, some including landmarks such as Westminster Bridge. He bought a house in Twickenham in 1749 and increasingly painted scenes around there.

This delicate sketch shows the painter Thomas Hudson's villa on the riverfront at Twickenham. It also reveals Scott’s working methods. The composition has been carefully drawn with a fine pencil before the application of monochrome wash to fill out the forms. In this case, the artist seems to have been more interested in the trees than the buildings.

It is thought that Scott was inspired by the Italian painter, Canaletto, who came to England in 1746 and produced detailed topographical paintings of London.