Henry died in 1780 from alcoholism and John was induced by his guardian aunt and her ambitious husband to sell the hall and buy Hornby Castle, Lancashire.

[2] The present building on the site, designed by Lancaster architect Edward Graham Paley, was constructed in 1855–56 for Richard's son William Allen Francis Saunders, High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1862.

[10] Wennington Hall was designated as a Grade II listed building on 4 December 1985.

The Grade II designation—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".

Inside the house is a staircase hall with a hammerbeam roof, and stained glass.