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The church of St. Peter ad Vincular at South Newington comprises a chancel, aisled and clerestoried nave, south porch, and west tower. The late 12thcentury church comprised a nave, its length probably now represented by the two central bays of the surviving nave, a north aisle, and presumably a chancel. The nave was extended westwards in the 13th century when a south aisle of three bays, apparently built in two stages, was added. In the earlier 14th century the west tower was built and both aisles were widened, that on the north being lengthened westwards to the end of the nave and extended one bay eastwards. The chancel and chancel arch were rebuilt to permit the enlargement of the nave. A clerestory and south porch were added in the 15th century when pinnacles were placed on the tower and a new east window put in.

The church was repaired regularly, notably in 1595 when the north wall was restored and 1755 when the chancel floor was paved and the furniture mended. In 1822 the walls of the nave and chancel were repaired, the latter at the vicar's expense. In 1823 the nave and chancel were reroofed with slates instead of lead, a ceiling in 'carpenter's gothic' style was inserted in the chancel, and the tower pinnacles were restored; the architect was John Plowman. In 1825 the church was repewed, and in 1826 the foundations were repaired. Another major restoration was carried out in 1892–3 to plans by A. M. Mowbray. The aisles were reroofed, the walls partly rebuilt, and the windows reglazed. 

In 1893 a series of mid 14th-century wall paintings was discovered in the north aisle, and a badly damaged Doom of about the same date above the chancel arch. The paintings are in oil colour on a plaster surface, a rare method in the mid 14th century, and their style is closely related to that of miniature painting. One of them treats the unusual subject of the martyrdom of Thomas of Lancaster. There are also painted armorial bearings, including those of Chesney, Giffard, and Morteyn, the last being of Lucy Morteyn, wife of John Giffard (d. 1369). In 1931 a series of late 15th- or early 16th-century paintings, depicting scenes from the Passion, was discovered on the nave walls. Their style and workmanship is inferior to that of the earlier paintings, whose quality is remarkable for a small village church.

The chancel windows contain some 14thcentury glass, and fragments of 14th-century armorial glass are preserved in the aisle windows, including in the north aisle the arms of St. John's hospital, William the tailor (le Scissor), and the families of Adderbury and Cranford. In 1875 the arms of Dive were also preserved in the north aisle. In a window of the south aisle is an early 17th-century achievement of arms of the Hall family. The monuments include wall plaques to John Lane (d. 1671), and Samuel Hall (d. 1639); there are floor slabs to Elizabeth and Thomas Hawtin (both d. 1767) and several members of the Penn family. The font is 12thcentury. There are five bells, the oldest dated 1656, although several bells were mentioned in the 16th century. There was a church clock by 1560, but the present clock was taken from St. Mary's, Banbury, in 1895. The plate is modern. 

The churchyard, extended in 1854 and 1896, contains parts of a medieval cross. A small building in the south-east corner of the churchyard in 1794 may have been the church house (sometimes called the town house), built in 1565 and surviving into the 19th century; it was used for church ales, administrative purposes, and occasionally as a poor house.

Historical information about St. Peter's Church is provided by A P Baggs, Christina Colvin, H M Colvin, Janet Cooper, C J Day, Nesta Selwyn and A Tomkinson, 'Parishes: South Newington', in A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 11, Wootton Hundred (Northern Part), ed. Alan Crossley (London, 1983), pp. 143-159. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol11/pp143-159 [accessed 21 February 2023].

St. Peter's Church is a Grade I listed building. For more information about the listing see CHURCH OF ST PETER AD VINCULA, South Newington - 1277633 | Historic England.

For more information about St. Peter's Church see Parishes: South Newington | British History Online (british-history.ac.uk).