Built by Colonel Edward Akroyd to serve his model village of Akroydon at Boothtown, All Soul's Church is in a corner of Akroyd Park facing Haley Mills. Considered one of the country's finest Victorian Gothic churches, the architect was George Gilbert Scott, famous in his day for London's Albert Memorial, St Pancras Station Hotel and other buildings. It includes much sculpture, metalwork, stained glass and painting by leading artists and artisans of the day

Building started in 1856 and the church was consecrated in 1859. The church was vast, with a tower and spire of cathedral proportions (236 ft, 72 m), and far beyond the resources of a small congregation. In the late 1970s the roof and spire were in disrepair and the church was closed for service in 1978. Some repairs were undertaken and in 1988, the church's protection and maintenance was taken over by the Redundant Churches Fund (now The Churches Conservation Trust).

The church is a Grade I listed building.