The parish of Woodrising lies in central Norfolk, around six miles south of the market town of East Dereham and northwest of the large village of Hingham. The parish lies in a scatter of small lanes north of the B1108 road which links the city of Norwich to Watton. Woodrising parish is largely agricultural, there is no village as such merely a scatter of cottages and farms associated with a north-south lane running from Scoulton to Shipdham. The parish has always been lightly populated and today it is a scene of broad fields and scattered woods.

St Nicholas has suffered the indignity of losing its tower which forms a small remain in the grounds. The rest of the church is a mixture of both Decorated and Perpendicular features all of which place it firmly in the normal period for church building in Norfolk. The whole edifice sits in a small churchyard amply filled with trees and bushes and partially hidden behind houses adjacent to the north-south lane. It is very easy to pass without even being aware of its presence.