The church is on the left bank of the River Wey. It is next to the pedestrianised Friary Bridge, directly beyond the foot of Guildford High Street. It is one of the three ancient parishes of the town. The other two have combined in their ministry, Holy Trinity and St Mary’s, on the right bank of the river, which had the majority of the townsfolk until the 20th century when the town expanded eastwards across the river.
Parish
The parish extends to the north where it takes in the railway station and other streets to the east side of Bray Road and Ridgemount towards Cathedral, all on the east bank of the river. It extends on the same bank to the south as far as the edge of the town of Godalming, to include Loseley Park. The southern manor, Artington, has the listedearly medieval ruined church of St Catherine's with its low crumbling walls on a hillside near the River Wey. It is the only set of ruined church or chapel walls in the borough. The former owners, the Loseley family, have a chapel) on the south side of St Nicholas.
Writer P.G. Wodehouse was baptised with the waters of the font. Son of the rector John Manship was Samuel Manship, a London publisher of theology and philosophy.
Architecture
The building is of cut stone and some mortar-infused rubblestone and is listed in the middle category of statutory listing, Grade II* chiefly for its ashlar-cut, bi-colour stone tower with quoining, its internal arches, pillars and its many decorative apertures by Teulon and Ewan Christian. The west end has a straight gable end excepting tall, shallow outside buttresses in light-stone relief. It has matching pointed arch windows consisting of tall close lancet lights and a small roundel above. A five-light trefoil window is above. The church is built from the south and west Surrey yellow ironstone-sandstone with 10 consecutive round windows, grouped in pairs, towards the simple string course eave. Above immediately is guttering of equal height before the ascent of a long hipped slate roof surmounted by a simple yellow stone cross on the west end. Its north lower, long vestry and side aisle with west-facing main door is between the height of the main building culminating in a transept matching the width of the square porch tower to which it joins and running equally to the south where it forms the vestry. A square belfry tower with flagpole surmount the chancel in lighter stone than all but the northern additions. The north transept gable end is embellished by a large plate-tracery, three-light-plus-roundel window on a sill and under a hood moulding. The chancel itself, facing east is apsidal with vaulting. It has a marble floor and mosaics.
