Wennington
Wennington is located in Greater London
Wennington
Wennington
Location within Greater London
Population300 (approximate)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ540809
• Charing Cross14.8 mi (23.8 km) E
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townRAINHAM
Postcode districtRM13
Dialling code01708
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

Wennington is a small village in the London Borough of Havering, in east London. It is situated 14.8 miles (23.8 km) east of Charing Cross. Wennington was an ancient parish in the county of Essex that was abolished for civil purposes in 1934. It is peripheral to London, forming a ribbon development extending from the eastern edge of the urban sprawl and surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt. Wennington was added to Hornchurch Urban District in 1934 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965.

History

Wennington (parish) population
1881 196
1891 310
1901 360
1911 364
1921 432
1931 359
1941 war #
1951 320
# no census was held due to war
source: UK census[2]

Wennington is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Wemtuna.[3] The manor had only three households and was in the possession of Westminster Abbey.[4] The Church of England parish church, St Mary and St Peter's, dates from the 12th century.[5]

Interior of the Church of Saint Mary and Saint Peter, Wennington

The parish included the Thameside area of Coldharbour, the Wennington Marshes and the village of Wennington. The Wennington parish became part of the Romford Poor Law Union in 1836. It was the smallest parish in the union with a population of 127. In 1875 the parish became part of the Romford rural sanitary district. In 1894 the Romford Rural District was created and Wennington gained a parish council.

Following a county review order in 1934, and in anticipation of suburban house building, Wennington became part of an expanded Hornchurch Urban District and the parish council was abolished. In 1965, Hornchurch Urban District was abolished, and Wennington became part of the London Borough of Havering in Greater London.

On 19 July 2022, Wennington was hit by a wildfire during the 2022 United Kingdom heat wave. At least 18 houses were burnt down and many others damaged, while around 90 families were evacuated from the village with a rescue centre set up in a nearby hotel.[6][7][8][9] Around 15 fire engines and 100 firefighters were sent to the scene by London Fire Brigade. The fire reportedly started from a compost heap which spontaneously combusted, with flames subsequently spreading along a garden fence.[10]

Government

Wennington is within the Dagenham and Rainham UK Parliament constituency. The current MP is Jon Cruddas of the Labour Party. It forms part of the Rainham and Wennington electoral ward of Havering. The ward elects three councillors to Havering London Borough Council. All three of the councillors elected in the 2022 London local elections were the Conservative Party candidates.[11]

Geography

The village of Wennington is a ribbon development extending southeast of Rainham, along Wennington Road (B1335) near the junction of the A13 road and New Road (A1306). It is about 2 km (over 1 mile) north of the River Thames. It consists of mostly scattered houses and the Wennington Hall farmhouse. The village population is around 300. In the south lie the barren Wennington Marshes, which now form part of the RSPB's Rainham Marshes nature reserve.[12]

To the west and north Wennington has a boundary with Rainham, also in Havering, formed by the Common Watercourse. To the south there is a boundary in the middle of the Thames with Erith in the London Borough of Bexley. To the east are Aveley and Purfleet in Thurrock.

Transport

London Buses route 372 serves the village.

Nearest stations

References

  1. ↑ "Wennington – Hidden London".
  2. ↑ Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Wennington population. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "Place name: Wennington, Essex Folio: 15r Little Domesday Book". nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Wennington". opendomesday.org. Anna Powell-Smith. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Mary and St Peter (Grade II*) (1079886)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  6. ↑ Gillespie, Tom; Drummond, Michael (20 July 2022). "Nearly 20 houses destroyed by Wennington grass fires as public is warned the danger isn't over". Sky News. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  7. ↑ Parekh, Marcus (19 July 2022). "Wennington fire: Street goes up in flames as 40C heatwave scorches Britain". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  8. ↑ Hockaday, James (20 July 2022). "Devastating aftermath of Wennington fire that destroyed houses but spared church". Metro. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  9. ↑ Sawer, Patrick (20 July 2022). "Wennington fire: Compost blaze that devastated village started just yards from fire station". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  10. ↑ Sawer, Patrick; Southworth, Phoebe; Lewis, Lauren (19 July 2022). "'We grabbed the tortoise and left': Wennington villagers flee as their homes go up in flames". The Daily Telegraph.
  11. ↑ "Benefit information for landlords".
  12. ↑ https://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/wennington/ Hidden London: Wennington

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