It was built so that the residents and visitors to the newly created town of Worthing would not need to travel to the parish church of St Mary in Broadwater.

As a growing resort, it was felt that for the town to prosper, residents and visitors would demand a local church or chapel.

The Reverend Davison went on to set up schools for boys, girls and infants in the town with money raised from the congregation.

[2] The building's yellow bricks are made from the blue clay taken from Worthing Common (also known as the Saltgrass), the green space which in the 19th century existed south of the current beach and is now underwater.

It re-opened in 2012 under the Leadership of the "3 Pillars" management group, Fleur Penny, Charlie Norden and Steve Hamblin, as a cafe and art centre, it is the current jewel of Worthing.