Brass rubbing is back for half-term
Please ask for details at the shop till.
Additionally, visit our online shop to get your own mini brass rubbing.
Brass Rubbing
What is brass rubbing? Brass rubbing in London and throughout the UK was a fashionable Victorian pastime that continues to be popular today. Visitors to churches wanted to take home a memento of their experience and brass rubbing was their inspired solution.
With some paper and a waxy crayon, visitors could trace over the brass monuments that were marking burial places and decorating the church. Eventually, this ‘rubbing of brasses’ caused damage but the desire to mark a visit in a creative way was more popular than ever. The dilemma was solved by creating sets of replica brasses to carry on the tradition without causing any damage to the fabric of the original monuments or stonework.
Dick Sheppard Chapel
The Dick Sheppard Chapel is located downstairs in the Lower Crypt, and is open for quiet prayer or contemplation at certain times when the church is closed.
Please ask a member of staff for details if you’d like to use the chapel.
Tours
Visitors are welcomed to explore the church when a service, concert or rehearsal is not taking place. Self-guided Children’s Trail produced by the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) are available on the tables at the entrances.
Virtual Tour
Art and exhibitions
St Martin’s hosts art exhibitions curated by charitable and cultural organisations. The Foyer, Gallery, and Courtyard provide a backdrop for these organisations to share their vision with visitors to St Martin’s.
