People have lived in Benington since the Anglo Saxons, if not earlier, and this early medieval settlement may have had royal links. The place name Benington is believed to come from the Old English phrase for the 'Farmstead (ton) of the people (ing) of Beonna’ - ‘Beonna-ing-ton’.

The people and patrons of Benington began to build their church of All Saints in around 1200. The first rector was appointed soon after, in 1210, in a church then comprised of just the nave and chancel.

Perhaps financed by wealth made through the international network of the Hanseatic Trading League, the nave was expanded in the 14th century by the addition of further aisles, each with a chapel at the east end.

All Saints continued to grow upwards and outwards in the late Middle Ages, when the nave roof was raised and a second level of windows (the clerestory) was installed. The western bell tower and the porch to the south were also added, creating the late medievalfootprint that we know today.

Nothing stands still. From the elaborate wall paintings that would have been seen in the Middle Ages to the austere whitewashing and iconoclasm brought by the Puritans, All Saints has always been a living building keeping alive the changing beliefs, fashions and needs of its users. The Tractarian-inspired, 'high', renovations overseen in the 1870s by the Victorian architect James Fowler of Louth are still impressive today.

As the congregation declined it became increasingly difficult for the small village to maintain and care for this mighty, Grade I listed, building. In 2001 the last service was held and the building declared unsafe.

The Church of England declared All Saints Benington closed in 2003. The building was closed up and its windows boarded, and it suffered from increasing decay and decline.

Lead theft prompted urgent repairs to the roof of the north aisle but the building remained on the official Heritage at Risk Register.

After more than 12 years of consultation, planning and fundraising, work on the conservation and adaptation of All Saints began in 2017. This has created The Beonna as you are invited to see it today.

The Beonna at All Saints began its life in 2019, with a grand celebration event held in February and the building opened to the public on Easter Sunday.