The building is now grade I listed and was described by Pevsner as "easily the finest church in the north-east corner of the East Riding".

[2] Sleight argues that the salient angles and structure of the tower predate the Early English nave, chancel and transepts below it, which was common in the eleventh century churches.

[6] After The Conquest, the land was gifted to the de Gant family who gave the church at Filey to the monks of Bridlington Priory.

[11][12] No vicarage was installed at Filey, rather the monks at Bridlington served it with one of the canons, and this arrangement was confirmed by Archbishop Greenfield in 1310, and was carried on until the dissolution.

[16] The basic structure of the church has remained largely unaltered since the thirteenth century, though the pitch of the roofs have been lowered, (which can be evidenced from the photograph above).

[17][18] The overall style is Norman transitioning into Early English with parts being Perpendicular in nature, thus the clerestory windows are circular headed, but the arches beneath are more pointed.

[20] A carved figure in the south wall of the nave is said to represent a boy bishop who died in office, though it could also celebrate a member of the laity.

[29] The architect was William Swinden Barber, and the works involved lowering the floors to their original level and repairing the decaying walls.

[37] In 1857, a massive storm with torrential rainfall hit the area between Filey and Whitby, and washed the stone bridge across the ravine away.

[43] The position of the church and its prominent tower has been a waymarking point for centuries during the marine supply route between the shipping yards on the Tyne, Wear and Esk and London.

A more detailed survey uncovered nearly 1,500 examples of graffiti from simple items such as hand and hearts to a full image of a Whitby Cat.

On one of her stays of the Yorkshire Coast in the 1850s, Charlotte Brontë described Reverend Jackson as a "well-meaning, but [an] utterly inactive clergyman...and the Methodists flourish".

[56] However, the churchyard was closed to burials in 2014, and even though the incumbent vicar had explained this to the family and funeral directors, whilst he was away, the body was buried without the proper authority.