Stoughton has a very high, aisleless nave (11thc., rebuilt in 13thc?), N and S transepts, with a bell tower over the S arm, a wide, high chancel arch and a 13thc. chancel. There is a Norman window in the W wall of each transept.

Stoughton is mentioned in the Domesday Book, at which time it appears to have been a populous village, with 36 hides and a church. It was held directly by Earl Roger (before 1086, by Earl Godwin). This indicates that Stoughton was probably already an important and relatively wealthy place before the Conquest, and some of the church may date from that period.

With its high and narrow proportions and thin walls (2' 5"), Stoughton is considered to be either pre-Conquest (notably by Taylor and Taylor), or a product of the late 11thc. 'Saxo-Norman overlap'. Its plan has been compared with that of Worth and its chancel arch with Bosham. Nevertheless, the chancel arch is a well-articulated piece of Early Norman architecture, and probably dates from c.1100. Its base profiles constitute its most archaic feature. The capitals can be compared with those of Eartham.

The capitals of the N and S transept arches are extremely similar, undoubtedly carved by the same masons at the same time, and yet the impost blocks have different profiles, that on the S being a classic 12thc. type while that on the N incorporates an overhang and can be considered Early English. The ensemble must, therefore, be considered Transitional, and dated to the last quarter of the 12thc. The capitals have been compared with some in Chichester Cathedral, dating after the 1187 fire.

According to the VCH (p.125), the font is a modern copy of a 12thc. font. If so, it is a good imitation of a late 12thc. font. It is not clear whether it copies a generic type, or a specific font which is now lost.