Westminster Abbey Brass Rubbing: Where to Do It Now

Short answer: no, you cannot do brass rubbing at Westminster Abbey. The Abbey states plainly that “the rubbing of Abbey brasses is not permitted”, and its visitor pages do not offer a rubbing activity. You can still see the medieval brasses on a normal visit. To make a rubbing yourself, go to St Martin-in-the-Fields on Trafalgar Square, which uses over 100 replica brasses.

What is brass rubbing?

Brass rubbing is making a copy of an engraved brass plate by laying paper over it and rubbing it with wax. Monumental brasses are flat plates of engraved metal set into tombs and floors, often showing the person buried there.

St Martin-in-the-Fields describes it as “a fashionable Victorian pastime”. Visitors to churches wanted a memento, so they traced the brasses with paper and a waxy crayon. Over time the rubbing damaged the originals. Replica brasses were the answer: they keep the tradition going without wearing down the real monuments.

The medieval brasses in the Abbey

Westminster Abbey has several medieval brasses on its tombs. Two that the Abbey describes on its own pages:

• Eleanor de Bohun, Duchess of Gloucester, in the Chapel of St Edmund. She died on 3 October 1399. Her brass sits on top of a low marble altar tomb and shows her beneath a triple canopy, wearing a widow’s veil, with her head on two embroidered cushions. Above her head is the Bohun swan, and five of the six coats of arms survive. The inscription around the rim is in French.
• John Esteney, Abbot of Westminster from 1474 to 1498, in the north ambulatory. On a low Purbeck marble base, the brass shows the abbot in mass vestments under a triple canopy, wearing a mitre and holding a crozier. He died on 24 May 1498. His tomb was moved in 1706 and opened again in 1772, when the foundation for General Wolfe’s memorial was dug.

The Abbey’s suggested two-hour route includes the side chapels. Take time to look closely: the engraving on Eleanor’s brass is detailed enough to show the embroidery on her cushions.

Can you rub the brasses at the Abbey today?

No. The Abbey’s page on Eleanor de Bohun says: “The rubbing of Abbey brasses is not permitted.” The Abbey’s visit pages and FAQ do not mention brass rubbing as an activity. If an older guidebook or forum post says otherwise, go by the Abbey’s current pages.

What you can do is look and photograph. Personal photography without flash is allowed in most areas of the Abbey. It is not allowed during services, or in the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor, St Faith’s Chapel and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries.

Where to do brass rubbing in London instead

The place to go is St Martin-in-the-Fields on Trafalgar Square. Its own page says:

• It has over 100 replica brasses from churches and cathedrals across the UK, including knights in armour, dragons, St George and William Shakespeare.
• Prices start at £6.50 per person.
• It runs daily during the church’s opening hours.
• No booking is needed unless you are a group of 8 or more.
• Brass rubbing is in the foyer next to the shop, entered through the glass entrance. Staff give you the paper and metallic waxes and show you how to start, and you take your rubbing home the same day.

It works well as a pair with the Abbey: see the real brasses in the morning, then make your own copy in the afternoon. The Abbey’s adult ticket is £32 on its own site (about $43). The Westminster Abbey entrance ticket we list is the same ticket at $43, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. For families, see our tips for visiting Westminster Abbey with kids, and for more ideas close by, things to do near Westminster Abbey.