Joseph Hirst was a woollen mill owner from Wilshaw near Huddersfield, whose wife came from Chester, and he had bought a house near Thornton Hough as a place to recuperate from his business stresses.

He bought land in the village to build the church for £600, and laid its foundation stone in March 1867.

[2] The spire rises to a height of 120 feet (37 m)[4] Along the sides of the church is a Lombard frieze, buttresses, and two-light windows containing Geometrical tracery.

[2] Inside the church the font and reredos are in Caen stone, they were both made by T. Ruddock, and they depict biblical scenes.

In the south transept is a window by H. G. Hiller dated 1912, which depicts Saint Michael and angels.

The west window is by an unknown artist, it is a war memorial dating from about 1920, and again it depicts Saint Michael.