The exterior of the church has remained almost unchanged since its construction in 1862–1863 in the Victorian Gothic style.

The construction of the church building originated in a suggestion made by the minister of the Regent Square church to the Reverend Gavin Carlyle, a nephew of Edward Irving, that Carlyle should travel from Edinburgh to preach in London.

[3] The architect, J. M. McCulloch, and the builders, R. and A. M. Greig, quoted a price of £3,368, but costs eventually rose to £6,000 as the church was opened in May 1863.

[4] After the initial construction was completed, there were practical problems and aesthetic discontent with the interior of the church.

The walls are simply bare plaster, the pulpit very large and heavy, the pewing poor and plain.

A northern gallery, evidently intended for an organ, is organless, and not much improved by large curtains.To attempt to address these issues, alterations were soon begun.