Irish Catholics, mostly miners attracted to the West Coast by its natural resources, made up a large proportion of the area's population.

A Greymouth architect, John Thomas Watson, prepared a concept design for the parish in Roman or neoclassical architecture.

[2] Internally, the church is simpler and less decorated than its exterior, but this is typical of other neoclassical basilicas built in Canterbury during the same period.

[3] The church was built in double brick, but it was not until 1927/28 that plaster was applied, and the building achieved its final appearance.

[1][4] Following a structural assessment triggered by the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, the church was closed to the public in June 2012.