Funeral & Cremation Services
Please read our latest coronavirus / covid19 updates above here first before reading this page. Thankyou.
The Chapel
The Crematorium chapel/ceremony hall has seating for 94 people downstairs and 36 people in the gallery. There is also standing room in the entrance hall. Within the Chapel there are fresh flowers on display and two further artificial displays. All are in white and green.
Words & Music
There are no restrictions on how your time in the chapel is used and you are free to have any prayers, readings, poetry and eulogies that you feel will be most appropriate.
Music and recordings
Providing full-service media management to the UK funeral industry, Orbitus are a leading provider of music, visual tributes, webcasting and AV solutions.
Before the service…
Through our website – users can listen to music tracks and hymns, and easily manage orders for music, visual tributes and webcasts.
During the service…
During the service, music and visual tributes are managed by our very own system: Maestro. From playing tracks to easily displaying visual tributes, the system is designed specifically for use in funeral venues, and features a number of remote control options. Our webcasting system is fully automated, and an increasingly popular option for those who cannot attend the service in person.
After the service…
Whilst many are happy to use a funeral as closure, others prefer to keep the memory alive with our 28 day watch-again with a copy to keep on DVD, Blu-ray or USB stick.
Your Funeral Director will create your music list for the service, as they have direct access to do this. Please get your music requests and visual tributes as soon as you can. Visual tributes need to be finalised 48 hours (working days) before the service. For example if your service is on a Tuesday at 10.00 it needs to be finalised the previous Friday at 10.00 am
Witnessing the start of a cremation
Many people wish to witness the start of cremation for personal, religious or cultural reasons. If this is your wish, do please request this when you are booking the service time at the Crematorium. At present 2 people can witness the start of cremation from the crematory doors, or people can view the start of cremation from the chapel on the large visual screen.
Organ Music
Mortlake Crematorium is one of the few which can boast a real pipe organ. Played from the gallery, and therefore out of sight, the instrument was built by John Hayward Compton in 1939. Although of modest specification it works well in our excellent acoustic chapel. Your Funeral Director or our staff can give you names of organists that can be hired for your service.
Flowers
Flowers from each funeral are displayed after the service in our floral courts and identified by a metal plaque with the name of the deceased. All flowers remain for 5 days following the service. If you would like your flowers to be held for a longer period, please let us know in advance, or on the day of the funeral.
We cannot burn plastic in the cremator, so tributes with a plastic base cannot be cremated, if you would like some flowers cremated with the coffin, a small hand tied bouquet would be suitable.
You are welcome to come and collect your flowers and cards. You may wish to take your cards on the day of the service, as the weather can damage them.
The Reception
Following the cremation service you may wish to hold a reception for family and friends. Whilst many may choose to return to the family home others may wish to arrange for this to be in the locality of the crematorium. Here are just few suggestions. Please do let the venue know that you found the details from the Mortlake Crematorium Website and they will be pleased to discuss your personal requirements.
- The Tapestry, 1 Lower Richmond Road, London, SW14 7EZ
Telephone: 020 8878 7177 or phone Jackson Firioni 07801 945573
Web: the-tapestry.business.site/
Next to Mortlake Green, nearest station Mortlake Rail Station - Putney Town Rowing Club at Mortlake, Rowing Club,Kew Meadow Path,Richmond TW9 4EN
Telephone: 020 8611 2925 Email bar@putneytownrc.co.uk
Web: www.putneytownrc.co.uk/hire
Next to Mortlake Crematorium, nearest station Mortlake Rail Station/Kew Gardens - Coach & Horses Hotel, 8 Kew Green, Kew, Surrey, TW9 3BH
Telephone: 020 8940 1208
Web: www.coachhotelkew.co.uk
On Kew Green, nearest station Kew Gardens - Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 5HX
Telephone 020 8940 8207
Web: www.pembroke-lodge.co.uk
Nearest station Richmond Rail and Underground Stations - Petersham Hotel, Nightingale Lane, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 6UZ,
Telephone 020 8940 7471
Web: www.petershamhotel.co.uk
Nearest station Richmond Rail and Underground Stations
Funeral Times
From Monday to Friday services take place at forty minute intervals from 10am to 4.40 pm.
There are two service times available at 9.00 and 9.30 which are thirty minutes and are at a reduced fee.
Longer service times are available, the most popular being a double service time (80 minutes). This is particularly beneficial if, for example you are expecting a large number of people to attend and when there is likely to be many personal tributes, several pieces of music and/or hymns. The officiant, who is taking your service and/or the Funeral Director can advise you. Please be mindful if your service overruns it has an impact on all services following that day, which can cause upset to other bereaved families.
Longer service times can also be arranged. If this is required, please speak to your Funeral Director or a member of our staff.
Saturday and Sunday service times may also be available. This will depend on the availability of staff. However, most requests can usually be met. We do not offer services on bank holidays.
Cremation Prices
Fees from 01 January 2021
DETAILS OF SERVICE
PRICE £GBP
Services from 10 am to 4.40 pm Monday – Friday (Aged 18 and over)
£620
Early morning service at 9.00 am or 9.30 am
£365
Saturday Service 9am to 11.20am (Subject to staff availability)
£950
Saturday Service 12noon to 4.00pm (Subject to staff availability)
£1275
Sunday Service 9am to 11.20 am (Subject to staff availability)
£1275
Sunday Service 12noon to 4.00pm (Subject to staff availability)
£1475
Stillborn Baby – 17 years (Monday – Friday 9.00 – 4.40 pm)
No charge
Babies under 24 weeks gestation (Monday – Friday 9.00 – 4.40 pm)
No charge
Use of Chapel for memorial service / additional service time in the chapel
£300
Scattering of ashes in our gardens from another crematorium (Monday-Friday)
£80
Surcharge for scattering ashes on a Saturday (subject to staff availability)
£80
Overseas Certificate or duplicate Cremation Certificates.
£10
We can accommodate coffins up to 39”/1m wide x 86.5”/2.20m long and 29”/75cm high
If a witness start of cremation is requested please check with the office before booking a service.
Choosing a funeral director
When choosing a Funeral Director it is important to ensure that you are able to discuss your personal requirements and have different options explained. You can ask a Funeral Director to supply an itemised estimate of what the charges will be. By asking for an estimate it does not mean you have to use them, and you can contact several Funeral Directors for estimates.
Advice on costs be found at the Money Advice Service
Many of the Funeral Directors that regularly use Mortlake Crematorium have signed the Fair Funerals Pledge, which means they; –
- Recognise funerals can be expensive and many people struggle with the cost
- Make their most affordable funeral package visible to the public, including third parts costs
- Charge clear prices for goods and services so people know what they are buying. Communicate prices in initial conversations and prominently display full prices lists. For further information www.fairfuneralscampaign.org.uk
Do ask your Funeral Director if they have signed the Fair Funerals Pledge
If you are worried about paying for a funeral you can contact Down to Earth which is a Charity project of Quaker Society Action . You can phone in confidence on 020 8983 5055 or email downtoearth@qsa.org.uk
To help you choose which funeral director to use it is worth noting that some are members of professional organisations, who may operate a code of conduct and a complaints procedure.
For more information, visit:
The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD)
The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF)
If you have cause to complain about a Funeral Director you can contact Trading Standards. To find your nearest trading standards office to your postcode please visit Trading Standards Advice UK.
Arranging a funeral yourself
Funerals do not have to be arranged with the services of a Funeral Directors. However, if you are arranging a funeral yourself you still need to:
- Get a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD) from the doctor at the GP surgery or hospital
- Register the death in the district where the death occurs
- Complete and submit the required legal forms for cremation (please contact us to discuss exactly what is needed).
- Pay the fees to the doctor/hospital, Register office and Cremation Authority
You will also need to consider and arrange the following:
- Where the body will be from the time of death to the time of the funeral service
- A coffin suitable for cremation
- Who/how will place the body into a coffin
- Transport of the coffin to the Crematorium
- At the Crematorium you will need enough people to carry the coffin and place it on the catafalque in the chapel
You can contact us for further advice