Most of an earlier church on the site fell down in 1710 and the current building, incorporating the earlier tower, was designed by Baroque architect Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1714. The tower later became unsafe and was encased within a new tower designed by John James in 1730.
The church is also associated with medieval composer Thomas Tallis and soldier General James Wolfe, both of whom are buried there. Noted merchant, Lloyds under-writer and art collector John Julius Angerstein was Churchwarden there during the early 19th century.