The 12th-century church was a Templar preceptory, built on land granted to the Templars by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, sometime in the two decades before his death in 1147.

The 12th-century church had a round nave, with an aisle arcade, and a chancel with a semicircular apse.

This chancel was replaced with a rectangular one, with a chapel added to its north side in Decorated style, in the late 13th or early 14th century. 

The Knights Hospitaller acquired the church in 1313, following the suppression of the Templars.

The parish of Temple Fee had come into being by 1308, the first year in which the church was recorded as having a vicar.

Temple Fee and Redcliffe Fee were distinct parishes, physically separated by a "Law Ditch".

Both were absorbed into Bristol by the city charter of 1373, ending a dispute between Bristol and Somerset over jurisdiction.

A second chapel was built later in the 14th century, on the south side, to which Perpendicular windows were added in the 15th century.

These chapels have been identified respectively as St Katherine's Chapel, granted to the Bristol company of weavers by Edward I in 1299, and a chantry licensed to John Frauceys the younger by Edward III in 1331.

Cloth weaving was the staple industry of Bristol in the late Middle Ages, and its centre was in Temple parish.

The round nave was replaced with a rectangular, aisled nave, in early Perpendicular style, completed around the last decade of the 14th century.

A free-standing bell tower seems to have existed until the early 15th century, further to the west.

The present, leaning west tower was built in stages, and completed between 1441 and 1460.

The highest stage is at a different angle to the vertical to the lower stages, as the masons attempted to correct for the subsidence of the lower stages.

The top of the tower leans 1.64 metres (5 ft 5 in) from the vertical.

It is 114 feet (35 m) high.

The lean is popularly attributed to the foundations of the tower being built on top of wool-sacks but is most likely due to the soft alluvial clay underneath being compressed.

The nave arcade was extended into the choir of the chancel.

The Hospitallers lost their English properties to the Crown in 1540, and in 1544 the church was acquired by Bristol Corporation.
The church was the scene of the exorcism of George Lukins conducted by Methodist and Anglican clergy in 1788.

Temple parish merged into St Mary Redcliffe parish in 1956.

The church was bombed on 24/25 November 1940 in the Bristol Blitz, leaving it an empty shell.

The damage was severe and although the arcades still stood they were very unsafe and have since been removed.

The wrought-iron parclose screens to the side chapels did survive and are today in the Lord Mayor's Chapel.

The sword rest by William Edney is now preserved but broken up into sections and re-erected in other churches.

 The 15th century candelabrum, with its central statue of the Virgin Mary also survived, albeit a little dented, and now hangs in the Berkeley Chapel of Bristol Cathedral.

Temple Church also contained a peal of 8 bells, which were moved to the Cathedral's north-west tower after the bombing.

The bombing destroyed the stores of records kept in the cellars.

From 29 October to 21 November 2015, the church hosted Sanctum, a performance event created by the American installation artist Theaster Gates together with the art group Situations, as part of Bristol 2015 European Green Capital.

A temporary, steepled auditorium was built inside the church, using salvaged historic materials from elsewhere in Bristol, designed to amplify the sounds of musical and other performances taking place 24 hours a day for 24 days.

BBC NEWS Jan. 2021:

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"A church that has stood empty since being bombed in World War Two is set to be revived.

Temple Church in Bristol city centre is in the top 20 worst condition buildings belonging to English Heritage.

Now an architecture firm, businesses and young people are drawing up plans to revive the site.

 

Bristol's Architecture Centre is working with Bristol City Council, English Heritage, Steve Tompkins - the architect who led the transformation of Bristol Old Vic - and Grant Associates, the landscape architects behind Singapore's Gardens by the Bay to revive the site.

Enough money has been raised for urgent conservation work in 2021, after which a design plan will be drawn up to turn the site, on Temple Street, into a public space.

Mr Tompkins said Temple Church was a "jewel of a project" and architecture centre director Anna Rutherford said young people would be involved as they would be the "future guardians of Temple Church".
Estates director at English Heritage Rob Woodside, said: "After more than 75 years, we want Temple Church to be part of community life in Bristol once again, and it has been amazing to see what a passion there is for this wonderful building."

Design workshops have been taking place throughout 2020 involving the local business improvement district, local residents and other stakeholders."