This lightness is due to the unusual construction of five aisles, separated by columns and allowing generous window area.

[2] The nave is 800 years old and the other aisles have been added over the centuries so that, in its heyday, a congregation of 1100 was regularly accommodated.

It has been suggested that the Anglo-Saxons used material "robbed out" from the ruined Roman fort at Watercrook to the south of the town.

[3] The shaft of an Anglian cross, housed in the Parr Chapel, is dated at approximately AD 850.

The building dates from at least 1232 according to written sources, with a record from this year referencing an indulgence issued for fabric repairs.