The church has an aisled nave, aisled chancel and west tower. It is mostly of limestone ashlar, but the N aisle wall is made with cobbles. The N and S arcades are early 13^th c. In 1864-9, the Norman chancel arch, which was subsiding, was rebuilt (VCHER, ii, 162). When visited by Sir Stephen Glynne in 1857 the church had ‘no tower, only a wooden belfry... the chancel arch has good mouldings', but he does not mention the font (Butler 2007, 182-3, with illustration of the exterior c.1840). There was an Early English pointed arch in the W wall of the nave until 1897, suggesting a tower by about 1300 (VCHER, ii, 162). It is said that the W tower fell in 1515 (Brearley 1971, 24); the present tower was built in 1897.

The choir screen and other woodwork is thought to have come from Bridlington Priory at the Dissolution. Sculpture of the Romanesque period is on the chancel arch and the font.

In 1086, there were two estates, one held by Hugh earl of Chester. The tenant of the other, larger, estate was Hugh son of Norman, then it passed to William son of Niel, perhaps the Niel who was made constable of Chester (VCHER, ii, 154).

The church is first mentioned in a charter of 1094-1100, which records that it was given by Hugh, earl of Chester to Whitby Abbey, but this is thought to be spurious, as there is no further evidence that Whitby held Flambrough church. By 1130, when it was next mentioned, the church had been given by William son of Niel to Bridlington Priory (VCHER, ii, 160).