In late work Constable has romantic motifs – ruins, stormy conditions of nature. The appearance in the works of ruins, which usually symbolize the frailty of being, may be related to the death of the spouse in 1828.
In a letter to his brother Constable admitted that after the loss of his dear “angel”, the outside world forever changed for him. The sketch was written in the size of a future picture shown at the Academy in 1829, the full name of which is “Hadley Castle.– The Thames Estuary – Morning After a Stormy Night.”
Related Paintings
Castillo de Hadley – John Constable 
Old Sarum by John Constable 
Château de Hadley – John Constable 
Construction of the barge by John Constable 
Cirrhous clouds by John Constable 
View of the Salisbury Cathedral from the meadows by John Constable 
Cart for hay by John Constable 
Pier in Brighton by John Constable