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.
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
Join us for our annual Christingle Service, 8 December at 4.00 pm
Our Christingle service will be on 8 December at 4.00pm. Everyone is invited to this special service in aid of the Children's Society. During the service children learn about caring for the world we live in. For more than 50 years, it has been an opportunity for...
November Churchyard Cleanup, 30 November, 10 am
Everyone is invited to join in with the autumn churchyard cleanup at 10 am on 30 November. Bring your own gloves and any equipment you like to use (such as secateurs). You can take on anything you feel comfortable with from mowing to strimming, cutting ivy or...
Remembrance Sunday in Wendens Ambo
Mark Remembrance Sunday in Wendens Ambo at 10.45 on Sunday
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
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.
