She intended for the church, which was to be "erect[ed] in or near to Eastbourne", as a memorial to her brothers, Thomas and William Clarke, and her daughter, Florence Amy Watson.

[6] The foundation stone was laid by Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone on 2 October 1935 and the completed building was consecrated by the Bishop of Chichester on 19 February 1938.

[7][3] Flaws in the design and construction of the church were identified as early as 1939,[8] with the resulting water penetration causing serious damp issues and a deterioration in the building's fabric over the years.

It was estimated that a demolition and rebuilding scheme would cost £25,000, but ultimately it was agreed with the War Damage Commission, who were funding the repair work, to "reinstate the church in the condition it was immediately preceding the bombing incident".

In a 1993 survey, it was recorded that the "peculiar fashion" in which the church was constructed has "led to several large-scale structural problems associated with the strong salt-laden winds blowing in from the sea", with its design being "quite unsuitable for its exposed position".

The steel ties within the walls had "rusted seriously, causing expansion and cracking" and the internal plaster had become "hygroscopic as a result of the rising damp which has penetrated from outside".

[15][16] The plans to merge the Anglican and Roman Catholic congregations was abandoned in April 1995, by which time St Elisabeth's faced repair costs of £1 million.

The scheme received planning permission, but did not come to fruition and a similar proposal made by the housing association Raglan in 1996 also failed to materialise.

[25] Feibusch chose the allegory of Pilgrim's Progress as a vehicle for his own story as a refugee fleeing Nazi Germany and his eventual acceptance in 1940s Britain.

[26] He was assisted by four members of Eastbourne School of Art – Barbara Richards, Miriam Furth, Kenneth Adams and Vivian Smith – and Doreen Randall of St Elisabeth's, with architect Frankland Dark as a consultant for the work.

Upon its completion, the crypt and its mural was dedicated by the Bishop of Chichester on 22 October 1944 as a chapel of remembrance to "our brothers from this parish and congregation who have given their lives in the service of their country".