Towards the end of the reign of Edward III the church and college were almost destroyed by fire, but from the design of the existing church the damage done must have been almost entirely confined to the secular buildings. The building is remarkable both for its beauty and symmetry of design and its present good state of preservation. It is recorded that on Wednesday, 20 July 1757, a violent thunderstorm passed over Shottesbrook (a variant spelling until the 1930s), and the church was so damaged by the lightning that it had to be shut up for more than a year, during which time the parishioners attended White Waltham. It re-opened on Sunday, 24 September 1758, after repairs. The chief damage appears to have been done to the spire, which was so shaken that it was at first thought that it would have to be taken down. A gallery across the north transept (evidently an 18th-century addition, removed in 1854) was also damaged and so too the north porch. The falling stones from the spire slightly damaged the roof setting a few rafters on fire. In 1852–4 the church was thoroughly restored under the supervision of G. E. Street, R. A. Between 1870 and 1872 the village real property of £2,134 () had 148 residents spread over 23 homes, fewer than 50% of the current number. Most adult residents in the 1871 census were employees at the few large houses and their associated farms.