The building was extended during the Middle Ages to include the present-day nave, the pillars of which are actually Victorian additions, possibly by William Armstrong.

The archive also includes records of the incumbent, churchwardens, overseer of the poor, parochial church council, charities, schools and vestry plus photographs, deeds, pictures, maps and plans.

During the English Civil War the demolition of the church was ordered (along with nearby St Peter's) to prevent its use as a fortress for attacking the city of Bristol.

In the early 1960s, the church was again threatened with closure, but managed to avoid becoming a potato factory due to the vision and determination of its then-small congregation, who adopted both the motto 'Seek First' (from Matthew Chapter 6, verse 33) and, uniquely, the nickname 'Pip 'n' Jay'.

It includes the Old Market area, and extended beyond the original city boundaries to include what are now the Bristol districts of Baptist Mills, Barton Hill, Lawrence Hill, Newtown, Russell Town, St Jude's, St Philips Marsh, The Dings and part of Easton.

A growing population in the 19th century led to the building of ten new churches in the east of the parish, seven of which have now closed.