This view, by Samuel Lines Senior, looks in a south-westerly direction from Temple Row in the foreground over a block of land bounded by Upper Temple Street, New Street, and Colmore Row. Although buildings lined these streets, much of the backland was still undeveloped and gives the impression of a country town. This open land was attached to Bennett's Hill House. When this ground was let in 1698 on a 120 year lease, a clause was included which forbade the erection of permanent buildings on it.Lines's painting was produced only a short time after the expiry of the lease and before the land was developed. The buildings on the corner of Upper Temple Street as far as the bend in Temple Row were demolished in 1823 for the opening up of Waterloo Street, which was driven through the middle of this open land towards Christ Church. Waterloo Street was crossed slightly later by Bennett's Hill, a street linking New Street with Colmore Row. By 1830, a Birmingham directory could describe these new streets as 'both rapidly filling up with handsome buildings, having stuccoed or plastered fronts'.