St Johns Church was designed by the architect John White who was also responsible for the design of The Square, the fifth Duke of Devonshire was the benifactor behind many of the fine buildings that stand in Buxton today and The Church of Saint John the Baptist (St John's Church) would be the fifth Dukes last gift to the town, permission was granted from The Dean & Chapter of Lichfield and work started in 1811 he died later that year.

St Johns Church was built in a neo - classical era that lasted from the begining of the 17th century until the first quarter of the 19th century. The cost of construction was a considerable £2,200 which was paid for solely by The Duke, this cost was so high due largely to the fact that the ground the Church is built upon, like much around the centre of town including The Crescent is quite soft and an incredible 200 piles of Oak 16 ft long were driven in the ground to secure the footings. The Church was dedicated on 9th August 1812 and The Rev G Mounsey became the first incumbent.

This view of the Church shows the East end as it was first constructed, with open columns which formed the portico through which visitors entered the Church and there was a ramp by the South door which was specially designed for Bath Chair users, which does remind us of the importance of The Waters and St Ann's Well in the development of Buxton, people needed to have their spiritual needs attended to as well as the physical.