Cranwell is a village in the North Kesteven district of the county, 3 mile NW of Sleaford and 11 miles NE of Grantham. The church stands on the main road through the village and is a small, odd-looking church having a low nave with a flat roof , a N aisle and a S porch, and a tall chancel with a pitched roof. There is no tower but a 17thc bellcote topped by an obelisk finial on the W gable. There is evidence of an 11thc nave to which a 3-bay N arcade was added, and this was later extended to the W by one bay in the 13thc. The chancel arch is 13thc, but the chancel itself is Perpendicular. The N aisle wall was rebuilt in 1812 and whole church was largely rebuilt in a 1903-4 restoration by C. H. Fowler.

Construction is of coarse limestone rubble and ashlar, with ashlar dressings.

According to the Domesday Survey, Cranwell comprised 2 manors in 1086, both held by Geoffrey of Armentières from Gilbert of Ghent. The larger of them was assessed at 12 carucates and was occupied by 28 households. It was held by Ulf Fenman before the Conquest. The smaller holding, of 1½ carucates was occupied by 7 households and was held by Azur from Ulf Fenman in 1066.

Neither Pevsner nor the List Description sugests a date for the arcade beyond the 12thc., and we suggest a date around or shortly after the middle of the century. The intentional cutting back of the S faces of the E respond and pier 1 capitals is consistent with screen damage. At some point in time, there was probably a screen between the E respond and pier 1 of bay 1.

The 13thc. westernmost bay of the arcade has water-holding bases, bell capitals, semi-circular abaci, and two chamfered steps in the arch; all this points to a later extension, perhaps shortly after 1200.