It is built in Early English Gothic Revival style and constructed of timber, with a steeply pitched roof and narrow lancet windows.

During construction, sections of the building were transported onto the chosen site (the corner of Simeon Quay and Brittan Terrace in West Lyttelton) and bolted together.

[4] In 1964, the urban area of Lyttelton was united into one parish, and over time, St Saviour's became secondary, with the focus being on Holy Trinity Church at 17 Winchester Street.

The chapel was dismantled into its sections and transported by truck to a site on the corner of Chester Street West and Park Terrace in Christchurch Central City.

The main structure is largely St Saviour's but it has been turned around on its axis so that what was originally the sanctuary is now the nave at the west end.

The church was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category II heritage building on 24 June 2005 with registration number 1929.