Linslade dates back into the 11th Century but the original village fell into disuse and no trace of it remains today. The Church of St Mary The Virgin survives in the area now known as Old Linslade, some two miles from the present Parish Church, and is still in use as an integral part of Parish life and worship. The coming of firstly the Grand Union Canal and then the Railway brought about the re-building of Linslade at its present location, the subsequent rise in population spurring the building in 1849 of the larger St Barnabas’ Church as the principal place of worship.
Until 1966, Linslade was a small, mainly Victorian town in the County of Buckinghamshire. The local government boundary changes brought Leighton Buzzard and Linslade together into the town of Leighton-Linslade in the county of Bedfordshire. The town is divided by the river Ouzel which was the original county boundary and remains the boundary between the Diocese of Oxford and the Diocese of St Albans and their respective Deaneries of Mursley and Dunstable. Despite being now in the County of Bedfordshire, Linslade remains, therefore, in the Diocese of Oxford. Until recently there was a strong feeling that we should remain there.
However recent major changes in demography and local Government organisation , plus the increasing need to realistically align ourselves as a part of the town of Leighton-Linslade are leading to a re-appraisal. We currently seek the best way forward for the mission of the Parish in a time of great change within our present Deanery and the formation of the other Anglican Churches in the town into a Team Ministry structure. Whilst already working closely through Churches Together we are actively discussing whether our place should be within this new Team, and thus perhaps closer to the secular community in which we live.