Yoxall was built along the river Swarbourn, which runs from N to S here. It was on the edge of the Needwood Forest, which was not enclosed until the 19thc. Its main street is now the A515 from Lichfield to Ashbourne and the church stands back from this in a spacious churchyard. St Peter's is mostly by Woodyer of 1865-68 and has an aisled nave with a clerestorey, a chancel with N and S chapels and a W tower. The nave is spacious with five-bay arcades in a Decorated style and a clerestorey with square-headed quadruple lights. The S doorway is genuinely medieval and of c.1200 and has no porch; the N is 19thc. The chancel chapels are both of two bays, and the N now contains the organ. The W tower has a battlemented parapet and tall crocketed finials. Drawings predating Woodyer's restoration show a similarly aisled nave, apparently without a clerestorey and with no N porch; a very similar W tower and a much lower chancel without chapels. The only feature included here is the S doorway.

The present hexagonal font is Woodyer's, but a drawing by Buckler of 1839 shows a slender, neo-classical font with a baluster shaft (William Salt Library SV XII 153b).

In 1086 Yoxall belonged to the Bishop of Chester's manor of Lichfield, and contained land for four ploughs, held from the bishop by Rawn and Alwine. No church or priest was noted at that time. In 1300 Edward I granted charters to Thomas, Earl of Lancaster for a fair and a market here. Shortly afterwards, the Earl granted the manor of Yoxall to his secretary, Sir Robert de Holland.

The N doorway is heavily restored, but its capitals and keeled arch moulding point to a date at the beginning of the 13thc.