Along with Turner, Girtin is recognised as the twin genius of early English watercolour. The son of a London brush-maker, he was apprenticed to Edward Dayes (1763-1804), from whom he would have learnt the rudiments of topographic drawing and traditional watercolour method. Between 1794 and 1797 he spent many evenings at the house of Thomas Monro (and in the company of Turner), copying drawings by Alexander Cozens and other English artists. Thereafter Girtin made regular summer sketching tours, working on exhibition watercolours in the following winter. He is known to have visited Yorkshire in 1798, this image depicting the ruins of St Mary's Abbey in York, with its large gateway, standing amongst the trees in a field.