Bereavement Services

Advice and help with burials and cremations in Southwark

The Bereavement Service offers help and advice with burial and cremation procedures within Southwark's cemeteries and crematory. We aim to ensure that people who have died in Southwark can be buried or cremated within the borough. We can also provide you with information about how to organise a burial or cremation and all the costs involved.

Burials within Southwark

Cemeteries

There are three cemeteries within Southwark. Most burials take place at Camberwell New Cemetery although it's still possible to arrange burials in Camberwell Old Cemetery and Nunhead Cemetery. Usually your Funeral Director will make the arrangements according to your wishes. However you can still contact our offices directly if you have any questions.

Woodland burials

Camberwell Old Cemetery has a woodland burial area on an open leafy area at the top end of the cemetery. Trees can be planted as a memorial and bulbs can be planted around the tree's roots. Please note that no other types of memorial can be used in this area. After the burial, the grave will be left as a small mound. After some months have passed, the mound is levelled.

Your funeral director will be able to supply information about environmentally friendly coffins. Please contact the Bereavement Service for information about the types of trees that can be planted as memorials.

Cremation

Honor Oak Crematorium is situated in Camberwell New Cemetery. The Chapel seats up to 70 people. The building was built in 1939 and is surrounded by memorial gardens. 

Although cremation is now more popular than burial within the UK, many people are not sure if it's the right choice. We've listed answers to some of the questions we get asked most often. 

• Do any religious groups forbid cremation?

  Cremation is forbidden by the Jewish Orthodox and Muslim faiths, but is acceptable to all Christian denominations as well as Sikhs, Hindus, Parsees and Buddhists.

• Is cremation more expensive than burial?

  Generally the cost of burial is much higher than for a cremation. However, medical certificates are usually required for a cremation and a fee is payable to the doctors concerned for this. These certificates are not required if the death has been referred to a Coroner or if a burial is chosen instead of cremation. Burials usually involve expenses such as grave purchase, memorials and grave maintenance.

• How is a cremation arranged?

  A number of arrangements need to be made following the death. Usually, the Executor of the Will or nearest surviving relative will approach a professional Funeral Director who will undertake some of these arrangements on their behalf. These include completing the necessary statutory and non-statutory forms, obtaining medical certificates, advising on registering the death and discussing funeral arrangements. The Funeral Director will also be able to deal with practical arrangements for the collection of the body.

• What happens at the crematorium on the day of the funeral?

  The mourners will gather in the waiting room or at the chapel entrance a few minutes before the start of the funeral service. When the principal mourners are ready, the coffin is carried into the chapel by either friends or family or the funeral directors. The coffin is placed on the catafalque and mourners shown to their seats. At the moment during the service when the committal takes place, the coffin may be hidden by curtains or withdrawn from the Chapel. When the service is over, the mourners leave the chapel and may want to spend some time looking at the floral tributes.

• What happens to the coffin after the committal?

  The coffin is withdrawn into the committal room where the identity is carefully checked. An identity card will accompany the coffin and the remains until the ashes are finally returned to the family. The mourners can watch the coffin entering the cremator if they wish. The funeral director can make arrangements for this with the Crematorium Registrar.

• What happens to the remains after cremation?

  The ashes are removed from the cremator and any metal materials (from the coffin or medical implants) are extracted. The ashes are reduced to a fine consistency and enclosed in a carefully identified container.

Charges for Burials and Cremations

There is a charge for burials and cremations. We try to keep these as low as possible. The charges may be part of your Funeral Directors bill - so do check this beforehand. We publish a complete list of charges for burials, cremations and memorabilia as part of our information pack. Please contact the Bereavement Services Office using the details at the bottom of this page

Memorials

Memorial service at Honor Oak Crematorium

There is an annual memorial service in remembrance of all those cremated or buried within Southwark. This is held on the last Sunday in June every year. The service is open to anyone who wants to attend.  Please contact us using the details below for dates and times.

Ordering a memorial

There are many types of memorial to choose from. The Bereavement Service can tell you how to order rose tree memorials, stone tablets and other types of memorials.

Our Service Standards

We are committed to providing an excellent service. We will:

• Arrange for a burial or cremation within a week of you asking us to
• Help you makes your own arrangements for funerals
• Help you select your own music for the crematorium
• Deal with a request or a report within 5 working days
• Keep cemetery and crematorium paths and roads in good condition
• Ensure all grassed areas are tidy and well-kept
• Open the cemeteries, crematorium and garden of remembrance 365 days a year
• Provide you with umbrellas and watering cans if requested
• Help elderly or disabled people visit graves
• Hold a memorial service every year on the last Sunday of June
• Be polite, helpful, understanding and sympathetic at all times
• Reply to your letters within 10 working days
• Answer your phone calls within 5 rings

Contact the Bereavement Services Office

For further information please contact:

terry.connor@southwark.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7639 3121
Fax: 020 7732 3557
Bereavement Service,
Cemeteries & Crematorium
Camberwell New Cemetery
Brenchley Gardens
London SE23 3RD