Wendens Ambo

An Essex Village and Its Church

Wendens Ambo

Our Village History

Wendens Ambo

Our Church

Wendens Ambo

A Pretty Essex Village

Wendens Ambo

A Village and its Church

This website has been set up with two aims – to illustrate the increasingly well-documented history of this small village in north-west Essex, and to support a long-term project to enhance and develop its historic church dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. We have recently received grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other sponsors to restore this charming and historic church and to secure its existence for future generations. The initial phase, now completed, has been to undertake major repair and restoration work to the roof of the tower and its spire.

As part of the bid to the HLF, the village organised a heritage project to raise awareness of the history of the village.  This took the form of a “Community Dig” under the guidance of professional archaeologists from Cambridge University. In mid-August 2018, families from the village dug test pits in their gardens and on public land to discover what history might be lying beneath their feet.

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Visiting our Church

The church is normally open for visitors during daylight hours.  A short history of the church is available for a modest sum, and a simple guide highlighting the stages of development of the church is available to consult while you are there.  If you are planning to visit for a specific purpose – to see a family grave, or for genealogical or historical research, you may wish to contact the church beforehand.

Latest News

Wendens Ambo Carol Service, 15 December, 6.30 pm

Wendens Ambo Carol Service, 15 December, 6.30 pm

You are welcome to come to our traditional Carol Service of 6 lessons and carols on Sunday, 15 December, at 6.30 pm. The church has been decorated and looks very festive.  Join in the singing at 6.30 pm. Afterwards there will be mince pies and mulled wine as well as...

Advent Services at St Mary’s

Advent Services at St Mary’s

Carol Service, 15 December at 6.30 pm Crib Service, 24 December, at 4.00 pm Midnight Communion Service: 24 December at 11.30 pm, Christmas Morning Family Communion, 10.00 am  

The annual Christingle Service was held 8 December

The annual Christingle Service was held 8 December

Our Christingle service was on Sunday, 8 December at 4.00pm. This special service was an opportunity for people to come together to have fun, celebrate and make a difference for young people.  A Collection for the Children's Society is part of the service and your...

November Churchyard Cleanup

November Churchyard Cleanup

Thank you to everyone who came along to mow, strim, cut ivy and tidy the pathways.  We are grateful for all your efforts.  The churchyard is now ready for winter.  Special thanks to Jill who looked after our refreshments and the village hall.  

Wenden church has achieved its Silver award

Wenden church has achieved its Silver award

St Mary the Virgin held its first Eco Church service where we explored what it means to be an Eco Church on Sunday November 21st, 2021.  The anniversary of that first service was marked with a special service on 20 November 2022 at 4.00 pm.  Wenden church received its...

Remembering Revd Tim Hardingham 1949-2020

Remembering Revd Tim Hardingham 1949-2020

A stained glass window in Tim's memory is nearly ready.  It will look out from the chancel to his grave.  Watch out for this window to be installed in 2025. The church is also working on ibecoming more accessible for everyone.  This will include improving the pathways...

Recent Work

Over the last few years a lot of repair as well as routine maintenance work has taken place at Wenden church.
In 2017 the church opened the Memorial Garden with a place for cremated remains and a new centennial war memorial.
In 2018 the church tower was shrouded in scaffolding to enable work to the roof of the tower to be carried out. The overall cost of the tower work and the associated heritage project was close to £90,000. The east gate was also replaced.
In 2019 one clear window in the north aisle and the main double gate to the church yard were repaired. It was also the year that the church received funding from the Oktoberfest committee to install LED floodlighting.
In 2020 a modern roof alarm system was installed as a requirement of the church insurers, because lead theft from churches is a national problem.
In 2021 the church installed under pew heating to pews in the main church. This was followed by under pew heating in the choir stalls.
In 2022 the church undertook repairs that had been postponed during the closure of churches during Covid. These included repairs to roof tiles and guttering on the north and south sides of the church. The join between the north aisle and the main church was cleared and new lead flashing installed.
Our current project is to make the church more accessible. This means creating a community space with an accessible toilet and servery that can be used by the community for a wide range of activities throughout the week. It also means making the paths to the church porch easier for everyone to use.

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