The oldest parts of the church building are the 13th century nave arches, although it was probably preceded by a chapel to St Guthlac, which over the centuries was rebuilt by John de Stilton in around 1338 as a chapel to St Mary Magdalene, later becoming the Vestry of the church and more recently subsumed into the Church Meeting Room.
Most of the church was rebuilt in the 15th century, but the South Porch and Vestry are mostly c.1500 AD. The Chancel and Vestry were rebuilt in 1808, the Vestry being shortened in the process. A musicians' gallery at the western end was removed during restoration in 1857 and the South Aisle was partially rebuilt in 1908. The Chancel and Nave are noticeably misaligned (see photo below); this is known as a 'weeping chancel' and is evidently deliberate, although the reasons are still the subject of academic debate.
The external appearance has also changed over time. The steeply pitched roof is characteristic of the local Collyweston style, which is traditionally steep (see for example the roof of the Bell Inn.) The C15th tower once had a squat pyramidal spire, clearly shown in a C17th illustration, but which had disappeared by 1885. An embattled parapet (see photo below) was removed during repairs in the 1960s.
The Belfry formerly held a peal of three, of which two bells survive. They are still rung, but the advanced age of the cradle prohibits their being swung. The third bell was recorded as having been newly cracked in 1799. It continued to be rung until 1853 – one wonders what it must have sounded like – but was eventually sold at some time between 1859 and 1892.
One curiosity recently discovered was a colour photograph of the church taken during WW2 by a USAAF serviceman and entitled ‘A church near Polebrook’ (see below). Polebrook was a bomber base, about five miles away. The strange caption is easily explained: during the war all roadsigns were removed to confuse any potential invaders, so the photographer had no idea of the name of the village he had found on his day off!
