English Heritage, a body responsible for preserving historical sites in the United Kingdom, assessed the church a Grade II* listed building.

The turret clock on the east face of the tower was also made in 1876, by JB Joyce & Co of Whitchurch, Shropshire, and still keeps good time.

[12] In 1751, Francis Blomefield, in his Collectanea Cantabrigiensia, recorded St James' as having a square tower, with four bells and a clock.

Since then, it is listed as a Grade II* building,[17] which makes the church particularly important to the country's heritage and warrants every effort to preserve it.

[2] The church floodlighting is supported by funds from the National Lottery church floodlighting trust[nb 12] There is a lowered sill on the southeast window of the chancel for a three-seat (sedilia); a cabinet (aumbry) is along the east of the north wall with an arched tomb recess to the west of it with an inscribed tomb lid which commemorates Nicholas de Kyngestone, late 13th-century rector.

[14] Lying in the chancel is a black marble slab that dates back to 1667; it is a memorial, commemorating Anne Brunsell, sister of Sir Christopher Wren and wife of the rector of the time.

Paddy Benson of Norman & Beard, carried out a reconstruction and enlargement of the organ in 1907 at a cost of £350 (equivalent to £46,768[nb 4] in 2025); it was converted to electric blowing sometime after 1937.

[29][30] Records before 1523[58] have not been confirmed; they have been checked (other than minor spelling differences) with the painted board in the south-west corner of the nave