The foundation stone for St John’s was laid on 26 April 1847 by John Marsland, whose daughter‘s marriage was the first to take place in the church. The church was consecrated on 24 June 1850, the feast day of St John the Baptist. It is a ‘Commissioners’ Church’ benefitting from special funding available for new churches to be built in areas with rapidly growing populations. The history of St John’s is therefore closely linked to the development of the parish for over 170 years. In 1847 the Diocese of Manchester was created. The first bishop was James Prince Lee, of Mauldeth Hall, Heaton Moor. His impressive marble grave is on the right side as you approach the church.

St John’s is a spacious church of simple design, constructed from mellow sandstone, with a distinctive medieval-style hammer-beam roof and an unusual gallery overlooking the nave (not used now). The church was extended in 1891, adding the Lady Chapel and chancel. It is listed Grade II by Historic England for its architectural importance.

The original landmark spire was struck by lightning in 1894, causing masonry to crash into the nave. A century later it was found to be dangerous so was removed and the tower reduced in height. The clock dates from 1861; an electric mechanism was installed in 1969. It still works well, with a distinctive chime on the quarter-hour. The attractive lychgate at the entrance to the churchyard is also Grade II listed. The circular churchyard is one of only very few in the country. The most recent major project at St John’s was the reordering of the nave in 2018. This entailed removing the pews (which were of little historical interest and of poor quality) and replacing them with modern wooden chairs to allow greater flexibility of use and a lighter interior character.

A day school opened in 1858, now the Stella Maris School. As the parish population grew it was extended twice, finally moving to a new building in the 1960s in nearby Poplar Street where the present St John’s Church of England Primary School is. A parish hall was built in 1906 in memory of Edward and Elizabeth Coward, paid for by their children. It received substantial Lottery-funded improvement and is now run by an independent Board of Trustees (with links to the church) as the Heaton Mersey Community Centre ( HMCC).