After enrolling in the Architectural Stained Glass course at North Devon College of Art and Design in 1970, Brian Clarke undertook an early commission in 1971 to create stained glass windows for Southcott Barton in Southcott, North Devon. Southcott Barton is a Grade II listed building dating from circa 1600, originally constructed as a farmhouse of rendered stone rubble and cob, and incorporating a two-storey projecting porch. The building was occupied by the Fulford family from 1927 and is now in residential use.

Commissioned by the Fulford family, Clarke designed stained glass windows for the porch area. For a small window with deep splayed reveals, he designed heraldic-style badges above the dates ‘1927–1971’. For a larger composition formed of four slender windows, he created an abstract design featuring clear, green, yellow and red rectangular elements. This composition integrates depictions of Southcott Barton and Bideford in the upper section, and a dedication to the Fulford family in the lower section, alongside the dates ‘1927–1971’.