St. Clements Church

St Clement's Church is a Grade I listed building in West Thurrock, Essex, England. It is the church for one of the traditional (Church of England) parishes in Thurrock. The building was featured in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. In 1960 the church was given a Grade I listed building status. However, in 1977 regular services had to be stopped due to cold and damp conditions during the winter. Shortly afterwards the church was used for a scheme for young unemployed people, called the Ark project, and the interior was gutted, but the project failed after a few years and the building fell into decay and was vandalised. Procter & Gamble, whose factory now dominates the church's skyline, offered to take responsibility for the church and its yard in 1987 as the company celebrated its 150th anniversary. Three years later, 50 years after the factory opened, the church's restoration was complete. The outside of the church featured in the film 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', as the setting for the funeral of Simon Callow's character. The churchyard has been given over to nature in recent years, although it is still consecrated. There are many memorials in the grounds of the church, including one to the 16 boys and their naval officer killed onboard the Royal Navy's training ship 'Cornwall' in the River Thames at Purfleet on 30 August 1915. The church was open every day during the London Olympics, from 11am until 3pm. It can be visited any day, during office hours, by driving past the church, to the Proctor & Gamble security gates, where the security intercom can be used to request access to the church.