A plain early twentieth century church of Gothic Arts and Crafts character, designed to serve a religious community as well as the local Catholic population. The church has historical associations with the Fitzherbert family of Swynnerton Hall, who paid for it. The relatively plain interior was adorned in the 1920s with wall paintings by Dom Constantine Bosschaerts (a pioneer of Catholic liturgical reform), but these have been largely removed or obscured.
The mission to Eccleshall was established by Bishop Ullathorne in 1870, but until 1876 local Catholics continued to attend Mass at Swynnerton.
In 1904, Basil Fitzherbert of Swynnerton Park paid for this church, built onto the side of Stanley House; the architect has not been identified. According to the Diocesan Directory, the foundation stone was laid on 17 June 1904, although the stone at the east end is inscribed 1903. The church formally opened on 1 May 1905, when Rev. Fr Oswald OSFC preached. The Picpus Fathers served the mission and were resident here until 1911. The parish was subsequently served from Ashley until 1971. Stanley House (next door) was occupied by a community of Benedictine Olivetan sisters from 1922 until 1927, known as The Priory of Our Lady of Mount Olivet; the community was established here in about 1922 by Dom Constantine Bosschaerts OSB, a Belgian Olivetan Benedictine, who set up a branch of Vita et Pax in Eccleshall in 1923, going on to establish branches at Rochester and Cockfosters in 1936. During his time at Eccleshall, he decorated the sanctuary with wall paintings. He later gave expression to his liturgical ideas in the reordering of the priory church of Regina Pacis at Schotenhof in Flemish Belgium, where a number of the Olivetan Sisters from Eccleshall resettled.
For more historical information, please refer to the Archdiocese of Birmingham website.