In 1824, Nicholas Sparks crossed the river from then Hull and carved a home for himself out of the heavy timber on the high cliffs of the south shore.

Colonel John By and the Royal Engineers arrived two years later to build the Rideau Canal, connecting the Ottawa River with Lake Ontario.

In 1824, the Reverend Amos Ansley, a native Canadian and the son of a United Empire Loyalist, arrived in Hull from England.

From his headquarters in Hull, Reverend Ansley served the Church population of fourteen townships bordering on the Ottawa River.

In 1828, the Bishop of Quebec, the Right Reverend and Honourable Charles James Stewart, paid a visit to Bytown.

Later that same year, the Venerable and Honourable John Strachan, an archdeacon and later the first Bishop of Toronto, also visited Bytown.

The diaries of both these clergy record the fact that the Presbyterians, Roman Catholics and Methodists of Bytown were able to lay claim to small but significant places of worship to call their own; but those of the faith of the Church of England did not, "...yet (were) sufficient to deserve the attention of a missionary."

Archdeacon Strachan and the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada paid a visit to the home of Colonel By, situated in what is now called Major's Hill Park.

There, they discussed the problems of funding the building of the canal, and need for a place of worship for the large Protestant following in Bytown.

By 1841, due to rapid growth in the population of Bytown, it was recognized that the church was not adequate in providing for the needs of the growing congregation.

[2] In 1861, Alexander Cowper Hutchinson (architect) designed a stone font inside the chapel, however the church was demolished in 1872.

The King McCord Arnoldi (architect) designed the new Christ Church Cathedral in an English Gothic style on the bluffs on Sparks Street near Bay Street, 1872–1873 [4] The cornerstone was laid July 3, 1872 with a time-capsule containing monetary denominations and other artifacts.

A stained glass memorial window "I am alive forevermore" is dedicated to Major Robert Donaldson, Late HM 41st The Welsh Regiment and family members.

A stained-glass Memorial West Window, designed and installed by Christopher Wallis in 1982 depicts the cathedral's history, early French and English explorers in Bytown, and an ANIK-B satellite.

The cathedral is regularly included amongst other architecturally interesting and historically significant buildings in Doors Open Ottawa, held annually in June.

The Very Reverend Elizabeth J. Bretzlaff serves as the Dean of Ottawa and the Rector of Christ Church Cathedral.

The cathedral is frequently the site of diocesan, ecumenical, interfaith and state events, including the state funerals of Prime Ministers John Diefenbaker and Lester B. Pearson, Governors-General Ray Hnatyshyn, Vincent Massey, and Roland Michener, and the Canadian funeral services of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.

They continue to set a high standard of vocal repertoire and musicality, visiting the UK and France in recent years, and serving as the resident choir at Ely, Salisbury, Edinburgh, and St. Paul's cathedrals, and have just concluded a residency at Gloucester Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey.

The choir has sung to acclaim in the United States on several occasions, most recently singing in St. Thomas' Church in New York City, and in Washington National Cathedral.

Throughout its history, the cathedral has been served by a number of eminent church musicians including Godfrey Hewitt, Frances Macdonnell and Matthew Larkin.