[2] Construction of the church started in 1791 and it was consecrated on 9 July 1791 by the Bishop of Lichfield, James Cornwallis.

[3] It was enlarged in 1837 when capacity was double to accommodate 300 people,[4] again in 1851 when the chancel and tower were added by Henry Isaac Stevens, and restored in 1869 by Giles and Brookhouse, when a north aisle was added, the nave roof was raised and the church re-roofed.

[5] The church is in a joint ecclesiastical parish with St Alkmund's Church, Duffield, being formerly within Duffield Frith.

St Paul's is within the Conservative Evangelical tradition of the Church of England.

As a parish that rejects the leadership/ordination of women, it receives alternative episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Ebbsfleet currently Rob Munro bishop.