St John's is a simple stone and rubble church with an aisled nave with three-bay arcades, square-ended chancel and an unbuttressed W tower, all to a small scale. Despite its simplicity the tower is early 14thc., and of the rest only the 13thc., N arcade is original, the S aisle and its arcade dating from E. F. Law's restoration of 1859, and the remainder due to H. C. Vernon (1873). It retains a 12thc. font, carved with foliage but unfortunately positioned hard against a pier.

The Domesday Survey recorded two holdings in Tiffield, one held by Ralph and a smaller one by William, both from the Count of Mortain although the soke of William's land belonged to Towcester (i.e. to the king). The same William held Dodford. No church was recorded in 1086.

Benefice of Pattishall with Cold Higham and Gayton with Tiffield.

The font is a product of the workshop from St Peter's, Northampton, active in the 1140s and '50s. Other fonts by these sculptors are found in the county at Green's Norton, Paulerspury, Dodford, Harpole and Weedon Lois, and nearby at Maids' Moreton (Bucks).