 The church was founded to alleviate the overcrowded St John the Evangelist Church (which has since been deconsecrated and converted into a concert hall) in nearby Smith Square.At that time, the new parish was situated in the middle of the notorious Devil's Acre slum and the site was purchased piecemeal at a total cost of about £6,000.This resulted in the "very irregular and unfavourable form" of the "L"-shaped church building.