The Mission appeared to thrive, and before too long, it was decided that it would need to be replaced by a permanent church building. Sharp had previously founded another church in another industrial offshoot of Horbury proper, at Horbury Bridge, so he was well aware of the costs and effort involved. But St John’s Horbury Bridge, which happily survives in use, is a more modest and much less ambitious building than St Mary’s. It appears that he intended St Mary’s to be his memorial, the crown of his labours in Horbury: and he wanted a building which better reflected his Tractarian ideals and liturgical tastes than the coolly elegant classical temple that is St Peter’s, Horbury’s original parish church. It is unusual for a small town to have two churches by major architects. St Peter’s is by John Carr: for St Mary’s, Sharp chose George Frederick Bodley, who with his partner Thomas Garner was one of the foremost church architects of the Victorian era. He chose Charles Eamer Kempe to provide the original stained glass windows: again, one of the greatest stained glass artists of his time. In procuring the fixtures and fittings he worked on the principle that “everything should be the best of its kind in the new house of God”: and visitors will see that this principle has been worked through in the quality of, for example, the eagle lectern, the sanctuary candlesticks and the altar cross and candlesticks.

Bodley described the church architecture as being “of the 14th century…entirely English in its character… A later architect, who supervised one of the periodic restorations, says that “a Bodley church… is almost always in the 14th century style known as English Decorated. St Mary’s is enriched by finely detailed stone arcades, elegant windows and a typical wagon roof….”

The church was built by Franklins of Deddington at a cost of £6,116, and was consecrated on 10th October 1893, the Feast day of St Paulinus. It has remained remarkably little changed in its internal arrangements since then, except for the extension of the side chapel (see below) and has largely escaped the trend for reordering. The major changes have been to the sanctuary, where in the 1950s, new altar rails by Thompson of Kilburn (that firm’s trademark mouse is present, but takes some finding) were installed: and a where a new reredos, a memorial to Norman Murray Smith, a Vicar of St Mary’s who died in office, was fitted in 1960. This is a fine piece of work, featuring symbols of the Passion. It is very much of its time, but fits well with the general character of the building. The other significant installation is the ornate canopy over the font, very richly carved and striking in appearance. This is a memorial to another Vicar, AWB Watson, who died in office in 1911.