The church is a highly acclaimed Grade2* listed building and was commissioned by Lady Victoria Wellesley, great-niece of the Duke of Wellington, in memory of her two aunts, Dorothy and Emma-Tilney Long. The church took two years to complete and was consecrated by the Bishop of Chichester on the 6th July 1882. Following an Italian Romanesque style for its exterior the architect A. P. Strong of Parr and Strong, London chose to base the interior closely on the 6th century basilica at St. Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna. The church is the only Victorian church in Sussex displaying a free-standing campanile.