A group of Franciscan nuns who had fled the effects of the French Revolution in 1807 established a chapel which became the centre for Catholic Masses in Taunton. By the mid 19th Century, the church built in the Crescent in 1807, was replaced by the present building, which was established on a former Carmelite monastery ground. The new, larger Catholic church with its tall, impressive tower, was dedicated to St. George, and opened in 1860.