The church owes its origins to the City church of St Johns-on-the-Wall. Due to dwindling population in the city centre, the rector of St John's Rev. P.A.Phelps agreed to father a mission to the Whitehall area in 1899. The rector of St George agreed to a portion of his parish being hived off and in 1905 the final agreement was reached and the parish boundaries mapped out. A mission church was begun in June 1905 and the first services held on the 21st December 1905.
The mission church was proving too small, and in 1907 another hall was built, followed by a large vicarage (rebuilt 1922-4), both on the sloping ground between Stretford Road and the park. Funds were still growing for the permanent church and in May 1912 contracts were signed and the foundation stone was laid on July 20th 1912. This is situated under the grand east window.
The architects were W.V. and A.R. Gough, and the style they chose for the church is a mixture of Perpendicular and Arts and Crafts. The church was completed in one build, and consecrated on November 13th 1913.
The tower stands in an odd position, at the outer south east corner of the south aisle. It was one of the last great towers to be built in Bristol.
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