Construction of the church began in 1837, the architect being
Edmund Sharpe of
Lancaster. It was one of Sharpe's first commissions and one of his early churches in
Romanesque style. The church was founded by
Dixon Robinson, steward of the
Honour of Clitheroe The foundation stone was laid on 22 June 1837. Under the stone a bottle was placed containing coins, medals, and a copy of the
Blackburn Standard. The estimated cost of the church was £950 (equivalent to £ in ), towards which the Incorporated Church Building Society contributed a grant of £250. It provided seating for 364 people. On 3 May 1854 the spire was struck by lightning, damaging both the spire and the tower. In 1881 it was decided to enlarge the church, and the architect Frederick Josias Robinson, son of Dixon Robinson, who was practising in
Derby, was commissioned to design and supervise this. The
nave was widened by the addition of north and south
aisles, and the
chancel by the addition of a north
transept, acting as an organ chamber, and a south transept, used as a choir
vestry. ==Architecture==