St. Nicolas' is an Anglican

Anglicanism

Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...

 parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 church in the centre of Guildford

Guildford

Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is one of the three ancient parishes of Guildford borough (the other two being Holy Trinity and St Mary’s

Holy Trinity Church, Guildford

Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Guildford, England. A large, red brick building, it was built on the site of a mediaeval church which collapsed in the mid-18th century...

).

The current church building, built in 1876, is at least the third church on the site. The previous building was built in 1836. The Loseley Chapel, which contains memorials to the More-Molyneux family whose residence is the nearby Loseley Park

Loseley Park

Loseley Park is a historic manor house situated outside Guildford in Surrey, England near Compton. The estate was acquired by the direct ancestors of the current owners, the More-Molyneux, at the beginning of the 16th century....

, is all that remains of the medieval building.

St. Nicolas' literary connections

John Mason Neale

John Mason Neale

John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar and hymn-writer.-Life:Neale was born in London, his parents being the Revd Cornelius Neale and Susanna Neale, daughter of John Mason Good...

 the author of the popular Christmas Carol Good King Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas

"Good King Wenceslas" is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen . During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by following the king's footprints, step for step,...

, the hymn O happy band of pilgrims and many more was a Deacon

Deacon

Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...

 at St. Nicolas.

John Samuel Bewley Monsell

John Samuel Bewley Monsell

Rev. John Samuel Bewley Monsell - was an Irish Anglican clergyman and poet.-Life:Son of Thomas Bewley Monsell, Archdeacon of Derry, he was born in St. Columb's, Londonderry, and educated at Trinity College, Dublin, receiving a BA in 1832 . He married Anne, daughter of Bolton Waller, of Shannon...

 who wrote Fight the good fight and O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness was Rector of St. Nicolas.

P.G. Wodehouse was baptised in the font

Baptismal font

A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...

at St. Nicolas.