Rita Angus travelled to Britain in July 1958 and studied at the Chelsea School of Art in London. While there she completed several studies based around the Thames River, including Lambeth Palace from Westminster. Lambeth Palace is the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, located on the south bank of the Thames River, upstream from the Houses of Parliament. The subject of moored boats seen in this work was to become a prominent theme in Angus’s painting throughout the 1960s. Angus was born in Hastings. She studied at the Canterbury College School of Art, then worked as an illustrator for the Christchurch Press Junior. By 1955 she had settled in Wellington. Three years later, Angus was awarded an Association of New Zealand Art Societies Fellowship, which allowed her to travel to England and Europe where she studied the works of old masters as well as contemporary art. She died in Wellington.