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The original dedication was probably to St. Andrew, St. Mary being added when the church at Langham Parva (by the fork off the Binham road to Cockthorpe) fell into disuse. 

The village has been known as Bishop’s Langham since 12th century when it became part of the Bishop of Norwich’s estates.

The site of the Bishop’s “palace” or hall can be seen on the right hand side of the Field Dalling road by the stream that flows under the road at its lowest point. In 1538, it was exchanged for the Abbey of St. Benet, which still belongs to the Bishops of Norwich.

The church is built of local flint dating from 14th Century with much enlargement and rebuilding in the 15th Century.

The Tower was built in circa 1450, in the Perpendicular period of Gothic Architecture. Of note is the decorative base course (called flush work), which is made of knapped flints set within a stone framework. Knapped flint is also used in the diagonal buttresses.

The Clock, originally with only three dials, was given by Mr. F.T.S. Rippingall in 1877. The fourth face was added later. The clock faces were re-gilded in 1982 and repainted and re-gilded in 1997-98. 

Originally there were five bells in the tower, but now only three remain – the oldest of these being cast in 1702 by C. Newman at Blakeney and weighing 7.5 cwt. Of the other two, one is 5 cwt and the other 6 cwt, which were recast in 1896 from those damaged in a great storm. It was at this time that the other two bells were sold to pay for restoration of the tower and the remaining three bells. 

The clock chimes on two of the three bells and strikes on the third. A restoration of the bell frame was completed in 1997, exactly 100 years after the first restoration for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.

All the windows are in the perpendicular style. In 1850, the incumbent Revd. Randall found several of them blocked and may have inserted new ones when opening them up. The present Vestry on the site of the South Porch was built from the material taken from the blocked windows.

The glass in the West Window was erected by Kempe and Tower in 1911 in memory of Florance Thomas Stephen Rippinghall. 

The East Window was glazed by J and J King of Norwich in 1858 in memory of Revd, Stephen Frost Rippingall

The Nave Window next to the pulpit is from the pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne Jones workshop, and depicts Faith and Hope. 

The glass in the window of the Lady Chapel dates from 1904 and is in memory of Samuel and Elizabeth Williams. 

The earliest part of the church is the South Arcade that dates from 14th Century when the church was virtually re-built, the windows being replaced and the roof raised to accommodate the clerestory. 

The font is mainly 13th century presumably from an earlier building. It is hexagonal standing on six Purbeck marble shafts. The bowl is even earlier and has a rough inscription “Alice Nottleton baptised 14th day of April 1602.” 

On the South wall there is a Royal Coat of Arms board dated 1740, with AR denoting Queen Anne, which had been altered in 1712. The motto and heraldry however are not of Queen Anne but of Charles II. The board was restored in 1977 by Bryan Hall of Banningham. 

The High Altar dates from 1948 and in 1976 was beautified with a frontal of Portuguese Tapestry made by Andrew Hill of Walsingham.

In the Lady Chapel the Altar and reredos date from 1922. 

Captain Frederick Marryat R.N.C.B., F.R.S, Legion of Honour. 1792-1848.  He was the author of many novels and children’s books including "Midshipman Easy" and "The Children of the New Forest".  He developed a new code of flag signalling for the mercantile marine, which was used internationally for many years. He is buried in the churchyard. His grave is immediately south of the Tower and the Marryat memorial is on the north wall inside the church. From 1843-48 Marryat lived at Manor Cottage on the Cockthorpe Road, where the Carmelite Convent is today.