Birmingham only came to real prominence during the industrial revolution so despite being the UK's second largest city it does not have one of the great gothic cathedrals. This church was initially built as a parish church. The style is English baroque. The architect was Thomas Archer who visited Italy before working on the cathedral and that visit is thought to have influenced his design. Work began in 1711 and the church opened in 1725. It became a cathedral church in 1905.