Commissioned by Rochdale's local industrialist and Freemason Albert Royds, the construction of the building was completed to a high and rich specification in 1873, with an "enormous" cost of around £25,000 (£2.8 million in 2025).

[3] Art critic Nikolaus Pevsner described the building as "Rochdale's temple to Freemasonry, a total concept as exotic as Roslin Chapel in Scotland".

The church closed for worship in 2007, and in 2009, The Victorian Society identified the building as "unusual and extraordinary" but also critically endangered.

In the main body of the church, the lectern features three brass columns all with the symbolic tools of masoncraft engraved on the base.

[3] Nick Bridgland, Heritage Protection Team Leader for English Heritage in northern England said that "St Edmunds is unique as it merges the architectural style of Gothic revival with Masonic symbolism to create a building which is not only a successful parish church but also a temple to Freemasonry.