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February at Westminster Abbey
We hope you are keeping well!
In February, with spring just around the corner, we very much look forward to welcoming you to our Spring Season: Fraternité, with an immersive exhibition, music, talks and tours.
Read on to find out more about what’s happening in February.
A Service of Thanksgiving for the life and work of The Rt Hon Lord Elton
Location: St Margaret’s Church
Date: Tuesday 6th February
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Tickets: Free (booking required)
A Service of Thanksgiving for the life and work of Lord Elton will be held in St Margaret’s Church on Tuesday 6th February 2024 at 11.00am.
Rodney Elton, an hereditary peer, who held ministerial office at the Northern Ireland Office, Home Office and Department of Environment, was elected to the House of Lords, where he sat on the Woolsack for many years.
A teacher and teacher-trainer, he was passionate about education and chaired the Elton Report on Discipline in schools. He was passionate too about upholding the House of Lords’ function, not only to improve legislation but also to keep the power of the executive in check.
His career also spanned farming, financial regulation, and running the Divert charity.
Underpinning his life was a living faith. He was ordained as a Lay Reader and was the mainstay for a group of Peers who met regularly to pray.
The service to be held for him in February will be an opportunity to celebrate the memorable legacy left by Rodney.
Sung Eucharist marking Racial Justice Sunday
Location: The Abbey
Date: Sunday 11th February
Time: 11:15am – 12:15pm
Tickets: Free (no booking required)
Everyone is welcome in the Abbey for Sung Eucharist at 11:15am on Sunday 11th February.
The Dean and Chapter of Westminster join with representatives of the Archbishops’ Commission for Racial Justice and the Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns (CMEAC) to mark Racial Justice Sunday. The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, will preach.Booking
All are welcome to attend and booking is not required.
Watch online
If you are unable to join us in the Abbey, the service will also be streamed for you to watch live.
Fraternité Family Fun: Rose window making
Location: The Abbey
Date: Tuesday 13th – Thursday 15th February
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Tickets: Included in the price of admission
Get inspired by the beautiful Rose Windows of Westminster Abbey and Notre Dame de Paris and make your very own.
Get creative making a beautiful rose window out of paper to take home with you.
Stained glass window making
Cut out your own shapes and fill the gaps with colourful tissue paper to create a piece as beautiful as the rose windows seen at Westminster Abbey and Notre Dame.
- Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
French Fraternité family tour
The Abbey is the resting place of dukes, soldiers and those who lived in palaces, but did you know these words were brought to us by the Normans? Join us to discover the many other Norman and French influences on the Abbey over the past 1,000 years!
- Time: 11:00am
Age suitability
Activities are suitable for children aged 3+ and younger children are welcome. All children must be accompanied by an adult throughout their time at the Abbey.
Toilets and baby changing facilities are available in the Cloisters.
Fraternité Family Day: The Bayeux Tapestry and Beyond
Location: The Abbey
Date: Saturday 17th February
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Tickets: Included in the price of admission
Explore how the drama of 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, shaped the future of Westminster Abbey.
In 1066, William the Conqueror led the Norman Invasion of England, defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings and was crowned King at Westminster Abbey. Explore these momentous events in a day of stories, puzzles, craft and mind-blowing history.
Your own Bayeux Collage
The story of 1066 was memorably told in the Bayeux Tapestry. Choose your own character from the Tapestry and, using craft and collage materials, create
a brand-new scene, exploring who they are, what they got up to in 1066, and what their superpower might be!
- Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
William the Conqueror story tour
Did Edward the Confessor promise the throne of England to William of Normandy, or was that just a rumour? Was King Harold shot by an arrow through the eye, or is that just a tapestry-maker’s fantasy? Why did William the Conqueror choose Westminster Abbey for his coronation and why did the day end in a riot? Explore all this and more in a family story tour, bringing to life the dramatic events of 1066, and the ways in which the Norman invasion changed English history.
- Time: 11:00am
Age suitability
Activities are suitable for children aged 3+ and younger children are welcome. All children must be accompanied by an adult throughout their time at the Abbey.
Toilets and baby changing facilities are available in the Cloisters.
Fraternité Tour: French footprints in British history
Location: The Abbey
Date: Tuesday 20th – Thursday 29th February
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Tickets: £10.00
Journey through collaboration and conflict as we delve into the intricate French links woven throughout Britain’s history.
Join a guide to explore the complex historical relationship between France and England and examines the intricate French links woven throughout Westminster Abbey’s history, exploring four distinct connections from various time periods in this ever-evolving relationship.
Through a history marked by collaboration and conflict, the tour covers key points such as the Abbey’s French-inspired architecture and historical figures with French connections, like Anne Boleyn. As well as delving into the impact of France on the poets of the First World War and France’s crucial role in the American Revolution, shaping the course of world history as we know it.
Available dates
- Tuesday 20th February
- Thursday 29th February
What you need to book for this event
- General admission to the Abbey
How to book
- Select your preferred date(s) and time(s) from the list above.
- You will be transferred to the Westminster Abbey ticket website. Select your chosen date and time (the time slot must be before or the same time as the tour time slot) and select your general admission tickets.
- You will then be prompted to book tickets for the Fraternité tour, if available.
If you would like to look around the rest of the Abbey during your visit then we recommend you do so before you take part in the tour. This is to allow you enough time to see as much as possible.
Additional information and restrictions
There is a maximum of 15 people per tour.
Children under the age of 15 will not be permitted on this tour, please see our family pages for information and events to explore this theme as a family.
BOOK ABBEY AND FRATERNITÉ TOUR TICKETS HERE
A Service of Thanksgiving for the Lord Morris of Aberavon
Location: St Margaret’s Church
Date: Wednesday 29th February
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Tickets: Free (booking required)
A Service of Thanksgiving for the life and work of The Rt Hon the Lord Morris of Aberavon KG, KC will be held in St Margaret’s Church, Westminster on Wednesday 28th February 2024.
About Lord Morris
John served in the House of Commons as MP for Aberavon for over forty years, spending two periods on the front bench as a member of the UK Cabinet. Between 1974 and 1979, he was Secretary of State for Wales under Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.
From 1997 to 1999 he was Attorney General under Tony Blair, a role which he had shadowed for fourteen years before that while Labour was in opposition, evidence perhaps of the respect his fellow politicians had for him as a dependable provider of legal advice and guidance, stemming back to his former career as a barrister.
As Secretary of State for Wales he instigated the move towards devolution with a referendum in 1979. Although initially defeated, the Welsh Assembly, now the Senedd Cymru, was eventually established in 1998 and he was there to hand her late Majesty the Queen a copy of the Government of Wales act at the official opening in May 1999.
Lord Morris was made a life peer in 2001 and two years later, made a Knight of the Garter. Away from Parliament, he was a supporter of Welsh rugby, agriculture and farming and dedicated much of his life to helping working class people in Wales.
The service to be held for Lord Morris in February will be an opportunity for his many family and friends to celebrate his life and remember all his achievements.
Notre Dame de Paris, The Augmented Exhibition
Date: 7th February – 1st June 2024
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Chapter House
Tickets: Included in the price of admission (booking required)
Immerse yourself in the history and spectacle of Notre Dame de Paris in the UK’s only location for this world touring interactive exhibition.
About the exhibition
Explore the story of the French gothic masterpiece, Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) from its earliest origins in the 12th century and its illustrious 850-year history to its painstaking restoration following the devastating fire of 2019.
This exhibition is an immersive and interactive journey through Notre Dame’s past including the lavish wedding of King Henri IV, the glittering coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte, and the 19th century construction of Notre-Dame’s iconic spire of Viollet-le-Duc, which was tragically destroyed by the fire. The skill, artistry and vision over the ages of its architects, craftsmen and builders, and the 21st century experts who are bringing it back to its former glory are brought to life in the show.
Upon entry you will be given a HistoPad™—a portable, touch-screen tablet to show you key moments in Notre-Dame’s history and restoration. Accessible to all ages and levels of technological savvy, it is in 13 languages and includes a virtual treasure hunt for children, and onboard selfie studio.
The HistoPad™ tour will take place in the Abbey’s 13th century Chapter House and envelope you in a multi-sensory experience—including audio of the cathedral’s organ and tolling bells, a full-size replica of one of the structure’s famed chimera statues, and a projection of one of Notre-Dame’s iconic rose windows, which survived the fire.
Created by digital heritage specialists, Histovery, in collaboration with Rebuilding Notre-Dame de Paris, and supported by L’Oréal Groupe.
Ticketing information
The exhibition is free but you will need to book a slot when purchasing your tickets to the Abbey.
Exhibition tickets are released in conjunction with Abbey tickets, up to two months prior.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Prince Eugene of Savoy 1692-1712, nephew of the famous French army officer of the same name, was buried in the Duke of Ormond’s vault at the eastern end of Henry VII’s chapel in Westminster Abbey on 27th February In the 19th century his name and date of death was inscribed on a stone above the vault. The inscription on the plate on his coffin reads:
The body of Eugene, Chevalier de Savoy, third sone of His Highness Louis Thomas De Savoy, late Count of Soisson, dyed February ye 25th 17/11/12 in ye 20th yeare of his age.
His mother was Urania de la Cropte, daughter of the Lord of Beauvais. His brothers were Louis, Emmanuel and Maurice and his sisters Maria Anna and Therese. The newspapers of the day state that he died of small pox at Leicester House in London about 9:00am and his body was removed to the Duke of Grafton’s house in Bond Street.
READ MORE ABOUT THE ABBEY’S HISTORY HERE
SHOP
Exclusively designed for Westminster Abbey, this elegant devoré scarf has been inspired by the elaborate vaulted ceiling in Henry VII’s Lady Chapel and would make a stylish addition to any lady’s wardrobe.
The scarf is made in the UK, is 100% silk and comes in gift packaging.
Henry VII’s Lady Chapel is the crowning glory of Westminster Abbey. With its spectacular vault and hanging pendants, it is unique and stands in complete contrast to the rest of the Abbey’s plainer and earlier Gothic architecture.
FREE SUNDAY ORGAN RECITALS
Sundays throughout the year
Held on Sundays at 5.00pm, these popular 30-minute recitals are given by visiting and the Abbey’s own organists and feature a wide range of music to suit all tastes.
Admission is free, tickets are not required.
DAILY SERVICES
Westminster Abbey has been a place of worship since the tenth century and we still hold services every day.
Everyone is welcome to worship with us; services are free of charge and most do not require a ticket.
SUPPORT WESTMINSTER ABBEY
It costs over £14 million a year to maintain the Abbey, and we do not receive any funding from the Church, the Crown, or the Government. The drastic reduction to our income caused by the Covid pandemic is putting our priceless heritage at risk.
You can support the work of the Abbey, and preserve over 1,000 years of history, by becoming a member of the Abbey Association. From just £40, membership benefits include free entry to the Abbey and Galleries, exclusive member events and tours and discounts in our shops and the Cellarium Café and Terrace.
FIND OUT MORE AND BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
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