Tamworth has a magnificent church which dates back to Saxon days 1,200 years ago. when Tamworth was the capital of the kingdom of Mercia. in 874 the Danes ransacked Tamworth and left the church "a heap of blackened ruins". However, a new church was soon built, for in 925 Sigtrygg of Northumbria attempted to marry Editha, King Athelstan's sister there. She was to become the patron saint of the church.

However, in 943, the church was destroyed by another Danish raid and it was rebuilt by King Edgar in 963 although little of this church now remains, now a great Norman church can be seen. Its length was probably equal to that of the present church as Norman stonework can be seen at the east and western ends. Its plan was cross-shaped with a central tower supported by four great Norman arches, two of which still remain. It was believed to have been built under the guidance of Robert de Marmion, the King's champion and lord of Tamworth Castle but was again destroyed by fire on the 23rd May 1345. It was re-built by Dean Baldwin de Witney with a steeply pitched roof, later to be replaced by the celerestory.

The massive west tower was added later with its double helix spiral staircase in its south-west corner. This is a very rare example of where two flights of stairs wind one above the other around the central post. As a result the real impact of the church is the spaciousness of the interior and the grandeur of its arcades and it remains as one of the finest churches of its period.