Although this scene looks picturesque, Redcliffe Street was narrow, congested and dirty as it was one of the main routes for traffic going to and from Somerset. It was also a densely populated area with many inns, taverns, and boarding houses and a network of alleys and squalid courtyards. The mix of timber-framed buildings and Georgian façades was typical of the centre of the city at the time when the Bristol School artists were working.