St John The Evangelist Church was opened to the public on 27th July 1840. The architect was William Bourne, a major architect in Dudley and the Midlands. It was built as an overflow church to accommodate the huge increase in population at that time. A sister church was also built and opened on the same day, St James at Eve Hill, Dudley.
After 162 years St John's was closed to the public on safety grounds, in November 2002. In 2007 St John's Church Preservation Group was formed, and further investigation revealed that the church was capable of straightforward repair. The church was Grade II listed in 2009.
On 27th July 2016, after a long campaign, a lease was signed making St John's Church Preservation Group tenants of the church with a brief to restore the church building as a visitor centre and for community events. The church re-opened to the public on 16th September 2016.