St. Philip's Church had been planned when the nearby medieval church of St. Martin in the Bull Ring became insufficient to house its congregation because of the growing population of Birmingham.

The land, previously named The Barley Close, had been donated in 1710 by Robert Philips.

It is one of the highest points in the district and is said to be at the same level as the cross on St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Following an Act of Parliament, construction had commenced in 1711, to the design of Thomas Archer, and is ready for consecration in 1715, when it is dedicated to the Apostle Philip as a tribute to the benefactor Robert Philips.

It appears to have been Archer's first church, apart from a rebuilt chancel at Chicheley attributed to him.

Construction had been estimated to cost twenty thousand pounds, however, the final figure is only five thousand and twelve pounds (six hundred and sixty thousand pounds as of 2012).

This is because many of the materials had been donated and transported to the site at no cost.

St. Philip's will serve as a Parish church from 1715 to 1905, when it will become the cathedral of the newly formed Diocese of Birmingham in the West Midlands.