At the time this was a very fashionable place to live. It was near enough to central London to travel in a day but far enough away to ensure the peace and tranquillity of the countryside. Building riverside villas was also very popular in the 18th century, and the one pictured here was the home of the celebrated English poet Alexander Pope. Although Pope had died several years before Scott moved to Twickenham, it was still a well-known landmark. Scott painted this view of the house a number of times.
All versions are very similar, but show slightly different shipping in the foreground.