The settlements in Box are on higher ground above the steep-sided valley of the Bybrook River, a tributary of the Bristol Avon.

[4] Prehistoric settlements in the area were hilltop forts such as Bury Camp, 4 miles (6 km) north of present-day Box village.

Near the present-day Box church is the site of a Roman country house which was excavated during the 19th century, then in 1902–1903 by Harold Brakspear,[6] and again in 1967–1968.

[7] There was a major rebuilding in the late 3rd or early 4th century which changed it into the largest villa in the Bath area.

[4] The village is shown on a 1630 map and by this time cloth weaving was an important home-based industry, supplying clothiers in nearby towns such as Bradford on Avon.

[12] Early documented forms of the name include (Latin) Bocza and (English) Bocks, Boekes, and even Books.

[15] Legend has it that St Aldhelm, Abbot of Malmesbury (c. 639–709) threw his glove on Box Hill, saying, "dig here and you will find treasure".

Stone quarried in the parish was used in the late 12th and early 13th centuries for the abbeys at Stanley and Lacock, and in the 15th and 16th for Great Chalfield Manor and Longleat House.

The railway made transport much cheaper, and the excavation of the tunnel revealed vast beds of stone on both sides of the line.

RAF Rudloe Manor, a headquarters site handling intelligence and directing operations, was established in the far east of the parish in 1940.

[18] Underground in the same area, Spring Quarry was requisitioned in 1940 in order to create a shadow factory for aircraft engine manufacture, following the bombing of the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton.

[19] Artist Olga Lehmann was invited to paint murals in the workers' eating areas; in 2013 these were designated as Grade II* listed.

It is in the area of Wiltshire Council unitary authority, which performs all significant local government functions.

Alterations were made in the 14th century and a bell chamber and octagonal spire in the "decorated" style were added to the Norman tower in the 15th.

It stood on a knoll in an area north of Hazelbury Manor shown on the 17th century map as "Olde Church Feilde".

Excavation by Kidston in the early 20th century indicated a single-cell church with a semi-circular apse at the east end.

[28] Chapel Plaister has a small roadside church, rebuilt in 1340 and linked to a hostel for travellers; it is also Grade I listed.

[34] Fogleigh House on London Road is a Grade II listed mansion, built for quarry owner C J Pictor in 1881.

[41] Springfield House, Grade II, was built in 1729: formerly a workhouse and a school, the three-storey building has been converted into flats.

[44] The Rudloe Arms is a Grade II listed building with a four-storey Gothic tower[45] in 14 acres, currently a hotel and restaurant run by Marco Pierre White.

[51] Also on the recreation ground is the unique 'Box Rock Circus', a 22 ft (6.7 m) diameter circle which is an earth-science educational facility.

The facility was formally opened on 14 May 2013 by the Professor of Geosciences Communication, and television personality, Iain Stewart.