It is one of the three original medieval parish churches along the area to the west of Southampton Water know locally as the Waterside.

The current building dates from the twelfth century and appears to been built over two periods, 1170–1210 and 1300–1340.

[3] The church was bombed[4] in 1940 and was badly damaged losing all of its medieval stained glass.

November 1940In the west window of St Nicholas's chapel there is a collage made from recovered stained glass.

Samuel Kinkead was a South African fighter ace from the First World War and Schneider Trophy pilot who died whilst attempting to break the airspeed record in 1928.