In this view of Salisbury Cathedral Constable depicted a fisherman in the foreground by a bend in the river and tall trees to the left. Lucas had begun working on the plate by June 1831 (Shirley 1930, p. 193) probably basing it on a drawing and a painting of Salisbury Cathedral from Long Bridge (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge), which Constable had made around 1829. Birds flying low over the water were added during the proofing, the trees lightened, the light in the sky diffused.

This progress proof was made before Constable asked Lucas to add the rainbow and before he removed the lightning flash.

Heysen wrote: ‘I am liking my Salisbury print more’ (Heysen, 23 February 1948, NLA MS 5073/1/5594).