On his final two visits to Salisbury in 1829, Constable planned his last and most impressive image of the place, Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows, exhibited in 1831. The finished painting is in a private collection but is currently on loan to the National Gallery.

This is a studio sketch, about a quarter of the size of the final picture. It was preceded by smaller oil sketches and drawings, and followed by a full-size oil sketch. It represents a crucial stage in the development of the work, with the horse-drawn waggon now moved to the centre of the composition.