The church was presented in 1217 to the papal legate, Cardinal Guala, by Henry III of England, in gratitude for the legate's attempt at reconciliation during domestic unrest at the end of the reign of King John.

The tower has two bell-openings (decorated) and is topped by a spire lit by small windows.

Above this lies the roof is supported by stone corbels, and below the floor is laid with polychromatic tiles.

On the church's north wall, a plaque to Anna Maria Vassa (died 1797), eldest daughter of the former slave and anti-slavery campaigner Olaudah Equiano, commemorates a link with the abolition of the slave trade.

Nearby are the Old Manor House to the south, the vicarage (1820) to the east and Chesterton Tower is a little further away just off Chapel Lane.