Newbery spent his youth in Dorset and later frequently visited the county before finally settling at Corfe Castle in his retirement. This painting draws on his love of the Dorset countryside and its people. The three figures in the foreground typify Dorset rural life at the beginning of the twentieth century and it is probable that the scene is set at the end of the working day.

On the left of the picture a farm worker with scythe in hand is returning from the fields. The young woman in the centre is wearing a distinctive Dorset bonnet and has been gathering kindling wood in her apron. On the right-hand side the shepherd stands crook in hand with his sheepdog at his feet. He is wearing a traditional smock. Behind the figures, a road leads away through the countryside to Corfe Castle on the skyline.