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Stationed on an island in the middle of the Strand, with a 1000 year history, St Clement Danes has been a quiet retreat from the noise of the city. The Wren building, damaged in the war, was rebuilt by the RAF to become its spiritual heart, a place of remembrance, solace and reflection, a living church open to all. Also home to a rich musical tradition, St Clements is the church where the ringing bells say ‘oranges and lemons’.
Opening Times:
Wed – Fri 10:00-12:00, 13:00-16:00
Saturday & Sunday 10:00-15:00
During World War II the bells were brought down the tower for removal to a safer place, but bombing caused a devastating fire in St Clement Danes on the night of 10 May 1941; the walls of the church and tower survived but the whole structure was gutted; the bell-frame and carillon machinery were also destroyed. The bells were bricked up, completely enclosed, within the ruins, in the area which had been the rector’s office, where they remained for years.
In 1953 a plan started to rebuild the Church and the bells were disinterred and taken to Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Several were found to be cracked at the crown, not due to war damage but old bells fixed to their headstock with iron canons expand, causing stress to the bell. These cracks would not have affected the sound, but all the bells except the original Sanctus bell were melted down and re-cast into a new ring of 10 bells.
The oldest bell in the tower is the Sanctus Bell. Cast in 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, by Robert Mot, founder of the Whitechapel Foundry.
The eleven new bells and the old Sanctus bell were restored to the tower in January of 1957.
Although St Clement Danes doesn’t have its own band of ringers at the moment, the bells are frequently rung. You can normally hear them before the 11:00 service on the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of the month and ringers often book the bells for practices, away-days and to attempt peals and quarter-peals.
St. Clement Danes was destroyed during the blitz and rebuilt years later. The church has a very diverse history and is now the official church of the RAF.
St Clement Danes has a vivid musical life with Director of Music Simon Over, Church Choir, and Ensemble-in-Residence. A versatile range of musical events can be accommodated.
To be married at St Clement Danes, a Special Marriage Licence is needed. The principal criterion for the grant of these licences is that a couple is able to demonstrate a genuine and demonstrable personal connection to the church. Applications from current and former serving members of the RAF and their immediate family (limited to children and grandchildren) constitute such a connection.
The same criterion for being married at St Clement Danes, apply for holding a memorial service or funeral
Baptisms are a regular feature of worship at St Clement Danes and should be arranged by discussing the details with the Resident Chaplain.
