The village has been dominated by the Church of St. Mary and St. Peter for over 800 years and is still an active place of worship.

The present church, was built in the 13th century and added to since. The tower is at the West end of the chancel to the East. Entry to the church is by way of the porch on the North side of the building that dates from the late 1800’s.

The date of the first church on the site, the Saxon one, is difficult to pin down. Certainly there was a church at Wennington by 1042 - 1044, when Edward the Confessor confirmed the parish as belonging to Westminster Abbey.

The Friends of Wennington Church came into being over 20 years ago when the Parish Church of St. Mary and St. Peter at Wennington, a grade 11* listed building, was threatened with redundancy.

The building was in a sorry state, and the Parochial Church Council at that time could not see how the necessary repairs could be paid for. Fund raising started, and with grants from  English Heritage and other bodies, work commenced on essential roofing works. Slowly, with funds from various bodies such as English Heritage and Essex over the border, the building was restored to a sound state of repair.

The Friends have a fund raising role, which although diminished over the years, still makes a contribution to the restoration funds as  necessary. Anyone wishing to become a member, or contribute to the work of the Friends of Wennington Church can contact the Secretary, Mr. R. Petheram, 3 Spencer Road, Rainham. RM13 8HD .

Wennington Church is the final resting place of Henry Perigal (Cyclops) 1801 -1898; a famous mathematician still respected in this field. For details see the following web sites Henry Perigal’s Monument  and on the dissecting table