[2]: 286 The temple was founded by Kemmyō Taira Sato, a former pupil of D. T. Suzuki,[1]: 10 [2]: 291  supporting both the local Japanese diaspora and non-Japanese attendees.

The Zen garden was designed by John White, art historian and professor at University College London,[3]: 15–16  and it opened in 1997.

[2]: 290 [4] Three Wheels conducts daily services, meditation sessions, twice-yearly shokai retreats (a term coined from two characters meaning "to flow" and "to open") involving communal meals, dharma talks, and chanting,[2]: 297  and services such as funerals and weddings.

[2]: 289  The term "eza" means "to meet and sit"[2]: 296  and is a distinctive practice within the Shogyōji lineage of temples, compared with wider the Shin Buddhist movement.

[2]: 289 Since 1997, Three Wheels has conducted a yearly Annual Ceremony to Pray for World Peace and Reconciliation between British and Japanese War Veterans.