Costing £6,000 at the time, the church was built in 1851 for the factory workers in the area. It is part of the Anglo-Catholic tradition within Christianity and is one of over 100 Church of England Churches in Birmingham. It was built to hold 1000 worshippers, although rarely got that many. It is named after St Michael who is believed to be an Archangel along with Gabriel and Raphael. When it was built this part of Handsworth was in Staffordshire, the foundation stone was laid by William Legge, the 4th Earl of Dartmouth. It is now a Grade 2 Listed Building because of its architectural importance. It now has a regular congregation of around 35 on Sundays, although small in number they are very active in the community and have a very busy foodbank serving the local community. They also have a Church of England primary school that has close links with the school. Gill Rose is one of two church wardens and has been worshipping here for since 2014.