 The church of St Clement Danes is believed to date from the 9th century . The name may have come from Harold <unk> , a Danish king who ruled England around 1035 – 40 and is buried in the church , or from a place of refuge for Danes after the conquest of Alfred the Great . It was transferred to the Order of the Knights Templar by Henry II in 1189 . It survived the Great Fire in 1666 , but was declared unsafe and rebuilt by Christopher Wren in 1679 . The building was damaged during the Blitz in 1941 , <unk> much of the interior , and was rebuilt in 1958 by Sam Lloyd , since when it has served as the central church of the Royal Air Force . The church is one of two possible origins for the " St Clement 's " in the nursery rhyme " <unk> and <unk> " , though more contemporary accounts suggest St Clement 's , <unk> in the City of London to be more likely . 
