Whilst the current church is fairly modern, the history of it dates back to the 9th century when Danish settlers took over the site and dedicated it to St Clement. It was rebuilt many times over the years and even survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. Sir Christopher Wren, who designed St Paul’s Cathedral, also designed this church, as well as 51 others in London. The English folk-song and nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’ mentions the bells of St Clements however it’s unknown if it refers to this church or a similar one in the East End.
On May 10th 1941, during the Blitz, the church received a direct hit from an incendiary bomb with just a skeleton shell, encompassing the outer walls and tower, remaining. The church lay abandoned for over a decade.
