The village contains All Saints' Church (C of E), a primary school, 'The Folly Bistro'Restaurant (situated in the Former Windmill Tavern Public House and dating from the late 17th century), 'Vita Bella' Italian restaurant (situated in the former 'The Three Horseshoes' public house), a new village hall and a post office.

The earliest appearance of the name Hanningfield was in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelt Haningefelda and Haneghefelda and it is thought to date from the Anglo-Saxons colonisation period between the 5th-7th centuries, and to mean the open country (feld), of the people (inga), of Hana or Han.

In the 7th century, the local Saxon chief was converted to Christianity and built a church near where he lived at East Hanningfield Hall.

The heat of the fire was so great that the bells melted and fell as a shower of molten metal in the west end of the church.

The insurance from the fire (£1000) was not enough to cover the rebuilding costs, and the villagers of East Hanningfield raised the rest of the money, a further £2500, themselves.

On 5 October 1886 a man was killed and a number injured on Little Clayden’s farm when the Portable steam engine he was working with exploded.