Serres left London and moved to Liverpool early in 1796 and drew many general views of the river Mersey and the Liverpool waterfront, which were developed into pictures for the print-makers and publishers with whom he was to work.

This is therefore a rare early work of Liverpool as, whilst Merseyside soon had its own local group of marine artists led by Robert Salmon and Miles Walters, they did not settle there until the early years of the 19th Century. This picture can be dated to pre-1801 from the design of the Union flags on the ships in the Mersey.