In 1865 there was an Anglican mission called St Luke's run by the nearby church of St Simon Zelotes, but the current St Barnabas building began life as the Baptist Union Church. It was built in 1865, to a design by
William Wigginton, in a Gothic Revival style, in yellow brick, banded with red and black. The church building, which is not oriented, was built with a broad chancel, nave, west gallery and an octagonal south west tower with a spire. The church was sold to the Church of England in 1868, and in 1870 consecrated for the
Church of England by
John Jackson the
Bishop of London, with a district assigned from the parishes of
St James the Less and St Simon Zelotes. In 1876 a large brick vicarage was built south of the Roman Road. It was first inhabited by George Barnes, vicar from 1870-1902, President of
Sion College in 1887 and rural dean of Spitalfields 1898-1901. The church was badly damaged by bombing during the
Second World War. Following the end of the war the steeple was removed and the church rebuilt, retaining the tower and north and south walls. Potter also created a font in
Clipsham stone. In 1957 a two-manual electric Jennings organ was installed in the restored church. A plaque in the church states that the restored church was rededicated on 18 June 1957 by the Bishop of London. Before 1965 St Barnabas was in the
Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green. St Barnabas is part of the Bow Group of Anglican churches, together with
Bow Church (St Mary and Holy Trinity);
St Paul's, Bow Common;
St Paul's, Old Ford and
All Hallows, Bow.
School St Barnabas National School (formally St Luke's) was based in a Gothic building at the junction of Roman Road and Lanfranc Road. It was founded in 1866 and was also used as a mission church. It closed in 1905 and was converted into a church institute. ==Priests of the church==