| St Clement Danes | |
|---|---|
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 | |
| Location | City of Westminster, London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic and Ecumenical RAF |
| Website | stclementdanesraf |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Architect(s) | Christopher Wren |
| Style | Baroque |
| Years built | several, most recently 1682 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of London |
| Clergy | |
| Chaplain(s) | Reverend Mark Perry MStJ FRSA[1][2][3] |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Simon Over FRCO |
| Business manager | Katya Johnston |
St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is now situated near the 19th-century Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes, the current building replaced the medieval church building and was completed in 1682 by celebrated architect Sir Christopher Wren. Wren's building was gutted by Luftwaffe bombing raids during the Blitz and not restored until 1958, when it was adapted to its current function as the central church of the Royal Air Force.
The church might be the one featured in the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons" and the bells do indeed play that tune every day at 9 am, noon, 3pm and 6pm—as reported in 1940 the church's playing of the tune was interrupted during World War II due to Nazi bombing.[4] However, St Clement's Eastcheap, in the City of London, is also possibly the church from the rhyme. St Clement Danes is known as one of the two 'Island Churches' in The Strand (centred in the thoroughfare), the other being St Mary-le-Strand.
- ^ "Chairman welcomes new Resident Chaplain to St Clement Danes Church". 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Order of St John | the Gazette".
- ^ "Mark Perry". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ The Layman's Magazine of the Living Church, Issues 1-20. Morehouse-Gorham. 1940. p. 5.