Preston Minster, formally the Minster Church of St John the Evangelist, is located in the centre of Preston, Lancashire. The current church was built between 1853 and 1855 and is a designated Grade II listed building.

In 1974, Brian Clarke installed a large window in the Minster as a celebration of the local Preston guild. This association was established in 1179 as an organisation of traders, craftsmen and merchants with a monopoly trade in the town. From 1542, every 20 years a fair including feasts, processions and social gatherings has been held. The tradition continues today, as the people of Preston keep celebrating the guild with week-long programmes of events and activities.

Clarke’s window includes black and white photographs of past events that emphasised the important role of the guild for Preston. One of these is an image of a swimmer captured in motion. In the same year, Clarke produced an autonomous panel based on the same photograph.