Cherhill lies 4 km E of Calne. The church is built of stone rubble and is partly rendered. It consists of a 12th-century chancel and nave, S aisle, S porch, 15th century W tower and N vestry. The only clear Romanesque feature is a blocked door in the north wall of the nave.

Cherhill was not included in the Domesday Survey. From the 12th until the mid-19th century the church of Cherhill was dependent on Calne church as a chapel (VCH XVII, 135-46). The earliest known reference to dedication to St. James is 1405 (VCH XVII, 145).

A major restoration took place in 1863.