The church comprises a late 12thc. aisled nave, a 13thc. W tower, and a chancel ofc.1240, with a chapel on its N and S sides. The nave arcades have pointed arches on alternating octagonal and cylindrical piers with foliate capitals. The font is the only carved Romanesque feature.

The church was founded by Abbot Ralph of Battle (1107-1124) to serve the citizens of the town which had grown up around the monastery. It was therefore a parish church under the jurisdiction of the Abbey rather than the Bishop of Chichester. The church was outwith episcopal jurisdiction until 1845. It was restored in 1869.

Few traces of the first church, built by Abbot Ralph, survive. The nave arcades date fromc.1190 (cf: Herstmonceux arcade). The font could be earlier than this work, or contemporary: it is of a type which appears to have been current in S England throughout the second half of the 12thc. and first decades of the 13thc.