[1] In 2014 Michael Campbell, Roman Catholic Bishop of Lancaster, entrusted the church to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest as a shrine for Eucharistic Devotion.

[4] In 1847, at the time of the Roman Catholic revival in England, and with prosperity brought by the textile mills of Lancashire, the architect Joseph Hansom was commissioned to build a large church.

The quality of its architecture, its significance to the parish and its landmark status in Preston led to great interest in its fate, and the closure was given a stay of seven years from August 2008 while local fund-raising drives sought to supplement grants for the restoration of the building.

It was built to express the pride and confidence of the Roman Catholic community after legal restrictions on religious observance were lifted in the 19th century.

The Mass is celebrated daily at the Shrine and the Sacraments are offered in the Traditional Roman Rite according to the charter of the Institute of Christ the King.

[7] Externally, St Walburge's spire, rising to 309 feet (94 m) is the dominant landmark in Preston and is one of the tallest structures of any sort in Lancashire.

The steeple is constructed from limestone sleepers which originally carried the nearby Preston and Longridge Railway, giving the spire a red tint during sunset.

[11][12] St Walburge's is renowned not just for its height but also for the inventive quality of its architecture, in which the architect has looked to Gothic models, employing the traditional features in a creative and harmonious way.