Beginning in 1866, religious services were held in private homes for the early pioneers who adhered to the Church of England. On the 13th of October in 1887, Lady MacDonald, wife of the prime minister at the time, laid the cornerstone of the future church of St. Margaret.

This limestone church was built in the Gothic style on a piece of land donated by the Misses Olmstead, “amid fields and on a country road.” The church was dedicated on April 29, 1888, and consecrated on December 23, 1890. It bears a commemorative plaque honoring the memory of Archibald Lampman, a poet who would often come to St. Margaret’s to meditate. A painting of the twelve apostles by J.W.H. Watts can also be admired in this church.

Nowadays, members of four congregations share this house of worship, namely English-speaking Anglicans, French-speaking Anglicans who belong to the congregation of Saint-Bernard de Clairvaux, Mennonites forming a community called the Village, and Inuit Anglicans. On weekdays, there are a number of social groups that use the building for counselling and teaching purposes.

Recently, the parish of St. Margaret’s submitted a request to the City of Ottawa, asking for authorization to build social housing units on some of its available land.