St Clement Danes

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St Clement Danes sits alone on a traffic island in the Strand, London. The central Church of the Royal Air Force, two of the three statues at the front commemorate officers in the RAF. Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding and Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Harris, most often known as "Bomber" Harris. The third (and largest) statue at the tip of the island is Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.

King Alfred expelled the Danes from the City of London and on this spot they built their church over 1,000 years ago. The seafaring Danish named their church after St Clement, the patron saint of mariners. The building that stands here now was built in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St Paul's Cathedral. The Wren church was badly damaged during World War II and was substantially rebuilt, true to the original structure.

"Oranges and lemons" say the Bells of St. Clement's
"You owe me five farthings" say the Bells of St. Martin's
"When will you pay me?" say the Bells of Old Bailey
"When I grow rich" say the Bells of Shoreditch
"When will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney
"I do not know" say the Great Bells of Bow
"Here comes a Candle to light you to Bed
Here comes a Chopper to Chop off your Head
Chip chop chip chop - the Last Man's Dead."

In spite of some dispute, many believe that St Clement Danes is referred to in the children's nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons (the dispute being that St Clement Eastcheap also claims that they rhyme refers to their bells). The church bells play the tune associated with the rhyme, which has a rather gruesome origin concerning executions at Newgate Prison (where the Royal Courts of Justice now stand).

Inside the main entrance to the church is a display cabinet containing a snuff box (snuff was fine-ground tobacco, inhaled into the nostrils and was commonly used by 18th century gentlemen) belonging rector at the church between 1843 and 1855, William Webb Ellis. Webb Ellis is credited with having invented the game of rugby, and a plaque outside Rugby School commemorates 'the exploit of William Webb Ellis who with a fine disregard for the rules of football as played in his time first took the ball and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the rugby game.

Other virtual tours in this area include the Samuel Johnson statue, Fleet Street, the Royal Courts of Justice, Temple Bar, Carey Street, the Law Society and the Maughan Library. Please click the thumbnail panorama below to view the St Clement Danes virtual tour.