The foundation of the church was laid down by Stephen Rumbold Lushington, the Governor of Madras, on April 23, 1829. Captain John James Underwood was in charge of the construction and designing of the entire church, and he ensured that only high-quality wood was used for the building of the St Stephen's Church. It would be interesting to note that the timber that was used in the construction process was brought from Tipu Sultan's palace after the British had successfully defeated him. The St Stephen's Church in Ooty is a symbol of the rich history of the place and dates back to the nineteenth century. Stephen Rumbold Lushington, who was the then Governor of Madras, was keen on building a church in the area since he felt that there was a need to construct a church that was exclusively for the British.The Governor laid the church's foundation on 23 April in 1829. The date was so chosen that it would coincide with the birthday of King George IV. On 5 November 1830, the church was consecrated by John Matthias Turner, the Bishop of Calcutta. The St Stephen's Church was finally opened to the public communion on Easter Sunday- 3 April 1831. Following the independence of the country, the church came under the CSI or the Church of South India.