Sandwich is a town on the river Stour, and during the Middle Ages was one of the principal Cinque Ports; since the disappearance of the Wantsum Channel it currently lies 2 miles away from the coast. St Clement's is one of the three historic parish churches in the medieval town of Sandwich; since the amalgamation of the parishes in 1948, it now serves as the only remaining active church for the town. It has a Norman central tower, described by Glynne in 1877 as 'uncommonly beautiful', and which according to Historic England 'ranks among the most notable surviving examples nationally'. The church is generously proportioned and has a large nave with aisles, a chancel with a N chapel, and a two-storey N porch. Romanesque sculpture is present in the exterior of the tower, at the crossing and by the entrance of the stair turret.

Sandwich ('Sandwic' or 'Sandwice') is listed in Domesday Book as one of the lands owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Details of the staircase construction show that the quality of build improved over time, with an upgrade from a plastered rubble to ashlar stairwell, suggesting that more resources had become available during its construction. The tympanum is one of a small number in the region which are sculptured, similar to the abstract bird motif found in the W tower entrance at St Margaret-at-Cliffe. The symbolism of the interlaced arches, bird and hart may be an allusion to Paradise, although why that should be placed at the entrance to the tower is not clear. Some scholars, in particular Rita Wood, consider this sculpture as highly symbolic, although she may perhaps be pushing the argument too far in the opinion of the fieldworkers.