Not so long ago, the majority of funeral services we organised would take place in a chapel or a church. Nowadays, when it comes to burials, for instance, we are working with families who are making use of a variety of different buildings locally for services ahead of the burial itself.
This works particularly well for families who either don’t really want a religious service as such or find that the chapel at the cemetery in Herne Road in Crowborough is a little too small – it seats around 20 people.
Recently we have organised services at venues including Barnsgate Manor, Salomons in Southborough and even at Crowborough Community Centre.
Somebody who attended a service at Barnsgate recently said: “I’ve only ever been to funeral services in churches and in crematorium chapels, so I was intrigued to discover that the service was taking place there. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and whether it was going to be traditional service. However, when I turned up, seating had been arranged and I realised that it was an actual service ahead of the burial. I thought that the venue worked really well. I guess we get used to services being in chruches, but this suited the occasion and was a beautiful celebration of my friend’s life.”
In theory, you could consider a variety of different venues – from museums, to wedding barns, pubs to football grounds.
“You can hold a funeral anywhere you like as long you don’t offend common decency,” says Charles Cowling, author of The Good Funeral Guide. “It can make the service much more relaxed and you could even use your own home or garden if you like.”
A quick search online uncovers the story of a musical lady who had her funeral in her own home, next to her grand piano, with her family playing instruments during the ceremony.
In theory, of course, any venues which are currently used for weddings – from barns to other spaces – could also be used for funeral services.
We are flexible here at Tester & Jones and are ready to discuss any ideas which reflect your loved ones wishes and the sort of person they were.
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