Built in 1854 by the architect, E. B. Lamb, the church reopened in 1996 as an art gallery during the Year of Visual Arts. It displays a wide range of exhibitions throughout the year and is home to the Vestry Café and the Gallery Shop selling locally produced gifts and artwork.

The gallery’s permanent collection is of a high standard, with some significant works by nationally- and internationally-known artists. The Fine Art collection is broadly divided into two main areas, those which are Victorian and Edwardian in period, and contemporary works from 1970 to the modern-day. It consists of some 1500 major works of art comprising oil paintings, watercolours, prints and sculpture.

Established by its founder, Sir William Cresswell Gray, in 1920, the collection continued to grow throughout the twentieth century to include works by local artists and significant events and themes across the borough. The gallery continues to collect now, although on a smaller scale, looking to fill gaps in the existing collection to better represent artists originally from, or working, in the area.