Chelmsford Crematorium
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Crematorium Chelmsford
Everything you need to know about cremation through a Funeral Director in the UK
Cremation is the most popular funeral choice for people in the UK. For those short of time or limited by budget, it is usually cheaper and simpler to organise a cremation than a burial.
When you’re mourning a loved one, however, even simple tasks can seem harder.
This is a comprehensive guide to cremation; its history in the UK, the science behind it, the variations and alternatives, and the personal services they offer.
Whether you need help planning a cremation funeral service or a direct cremation, they are here to offer empathic, transparent advice at any time.
How much does a cremation cost?
The average price for a cremation with a service in the UK currently starts at around £3,600 outside of London, but can cost up to £5,000 in the capital. It is usually a more cost-effective option compared to a traditional burial service. A burial may also involve further costs for a headstone and cemetery plot maintenance.
If you are recently bereaved and don’t know where to start, they can help with every aspect of organising a service at a crematorium.
When you organise a cremation with a service through A Funeral Director, they help you deliver a truly personal send-off. They can arrange flowers, a celebrant and many other elements to make the service as unique as the life you are celebrating.
Because their aim is to lessen the pain and stress of bereavement, they also manage planning, collection of the deceased and the official paperwork if needed, along with support from their Bereavement Team.
For those who want a simpler service or to arrange their own non-religious celebration after a simple cremation, an alternative service - direct cremation - is becoming common in the UK.
What is direct cremation and how much does it cost?
Direct cremation is growing in popularity in the UK. Essentially, it’s a cremation carried out by certified professionals in private, which offers a low cost, respectful alternative to a burial or crematorium service.
direct cremation packages include collection and care of the deceased. You can make a direct cremation truly special by choosing from a wide range of coffins and personalising them with floral tributes.
Direct cremation can save you from having to make complex arrangements at the point of bereavement, giving you more time to plan the ideal thanksgiving or memorial service. This can be preferable to having to ‘rush through’ funeral service arrangements at a time of stress.
If you need further support after the death and cremation of a loved one, they can help you to arrange a separate service to complement a direct cremation. Their team can assist you in planning a service which can be held at any time after the event at an appropriate venue.
A direct cremation may also be referred to as a silent cremation or unattended cremation.
What is the average time between death and cremation?
• Cremation with a service: 2 weeks on average. This depends on crematorium availability and the nature of the death. An unconfirmed cause of death may lengthen the process.
• Hindu cremation: traditionally within 24 hours of death, though this is not always logistically possible.
• Sikh cremation: traditionally within 3 days of death, if possible.
• Direct cremation: up to 3 weeks on average. Direct cremation has a wider timescale, and you may not be able to choose a specific date and time. Direct Cremations are often conducted out of peak hours when the crematorium is not booked for attended services.
Are there any other costs involved in a cremation?
There are other charges to factor into cremation costs, such as:
• Doctor’s fees for a cremation certificate - £82/164.
Extra possible costs that apply to a cremation with a funeral service:
• Crematorium fee - from £365
• Celebrant fee - from £265
And remember, they can advise on any other extras you may need to add a personal touch to the service - from floral tributes, dressing and viewings to limousines and memorial stones.
When did cremation become popular in the UK?
With cremation now such a popular funeral choice in the UK, it may be surprising to learn that it only became widely accepted around 150 years ago.
Cremation and the use of funeral pyres they’re common in ancient civilisations across the globe, but once Christianity became more prevalent, this was to change. Cremation largely disappeared from the British Isles around the 5th century AD.
The first cremation in the UK
It was not until March 1885 that the first official ‘modern’ cremation took place in the UK, at Woking Crematorium. Thanks to the Cremation Society of Great Britain, formed a few years earlier in 1874, more crematoria they’re built around the country in the following years.
Today there are almost 300 crematoria in the UK and cremations account for around 75% of all funerals.
The UK’s first ‘official’ cremation
March 26, 1885, Woking Crematorium, Surrey
Jeanette Pickersgill - a painter who was a they’ll-known figure in literary and scientific circles - was the first person to be legally cremated in the UK.
Although her cremation took place six days after her death, two doctors they’re called to certify her dead, so prolific was the fear of being burnt alive at the time.
Christian views on cremation
The Bible does not specifically endorse or forbid cremation, but the Christian concept of resurrection - and the concept that all humans are made in the form of Christ - lead to some strands of the church, particularly Roman Catholic and Orthodox sects, opposing cremation.
This kept cremation from becoming more widespread until society in the UK started to become less dominated by Christian doctrine.
For the Church of England and other Christian denominations these days, cremation is popular and widely accepted. A Christian service will often accompany a cremation.
The Catholic church’s stance on cremation softened in the 1960s, and it is no longer forbidden, though a traditional burial is still favoured by more devout Catholics.
What is the Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Humanist take on cremation?
The major religions of the world have varying opinions on cremation.
• In Islam cremation is forbidden. The body must be ritually washed and draped and then buried as soon as possible after death.
• Orthodox and Conservative Judaism also forbids cremation, though it is accepted by reform Jews and becoming more popular.
• Hindu belief calls for cremation as soon as possible after death as it is thought to be the quickest way to release the soul from the body.
• Sikhism traditionally calls for cremation within three days of death if possible. Burial is permitted only if cremation is impossible - and no headstone or monument is allowed.
• Buddhists believe that burial, mummification or cremation are all acceptable, although cremation is the preferred method for disposing of bodies after death.
• Humanists are not aligned with any religion and cremation is a common choice for those who identify as such. Woodland burials are also popular as Humanist funerals.
The cremation process from start to finish
Here they take an in-depth look at what to expect when arranging a cremation. They’ll guide you through every stage: from the collection of the deceased, to what happens during the cremation process and then finding that perfect final resting place.
Most of us know the basic premise of cremation - it is the transformation of a deceased body into ashes by combustion. However, when you are planning the right send-off for a dearly loved person in their life, it’s natural to want to know a little more about the process to decide if it’s the right option. Sometimes taking the mystery out of things that are painful to deal with helps us to process them better and think more clearly.
Cremation step by step
• Contact us for assistance in booking all funeral/cremation services
• They help you with all the paperwork and booking of services
• The deceased is collected and cared for with dignity and respect
• The deceased will be stored in a temperature controlled environment
• On cremation day the deceased is transported to the crematorium
• Cremation (2-3 hours) takes place (either unattended or with service)
• Ashes can be collected after the service or delivered to their home up to 28 days after the service for a small charge
• You can hold a special service to honour your loved one anywhere and anytime
• You are free to scatter/release ashes at a special place if you decide to do so
Preparing the body for cremation
It’s natural to want to know how the body of your loved one will be prepared for cremation, and people often have questions about what happens to the coffin, jewellery and other items like floral tributes.
Once the deceased has been collected by the funeral director, it will be stored in a temperature-controlled room until the cremation service or the unattended cremation if you have opted for direct cremation.
The body of the deceased will be officially identified before any items that cannot be cremated are removed.
What happens to medical items during a cremation?
It is at this stage that any medical items that could be hazardous during the cremation, such as pacemakers, will be respectfully removed by trained staff. Medical items are often melted down and recycled or reused through official schemes.
Besides the commonly known pacemaker, any medical device that uses a battery, radiation, pressurisation or silicone in its manufacture must be removed before cremation for safety reasons. However, there’s no need to worry about this, as any equipment unsuitable for cremation will be noted on the cremation medical certificate, completed before the cremation day.
Can jewellery be worn during a cremation?
It’s common for people to have a special item of jewellery, a wedding ring or a locket perhaps, that holds great significance. When they lose someone close to us, it’s common to want to send them off dressed in their finest clothes, perhaps wearing the jewellery they loved.
For this reason, most crematoria advise that jewellery be removed from the deceased before the coffin reaches the crematorium.
Any jewellery left on the body during a cremation will mingle with ash and other compounds. When the process is complete, it will be removed by the crematorium staff. Many crematoria now recycle the metal and donate some of the proceeds to charity as it cannot be given back to the deceased’s family or friends after cremation.
Of course, you can leave items of jewellery on the body of the deceased if you wish, but if there are valuable or emotionally significant items of jewellery you would like to keep, they should be removed from the deceased by their funeral director before the coffin is taken to the crematorium for cremation.
What happens to a body during cremation?
One of the catalysts for cremation growing in popularity was the development of more efficient, hotter cremation furnaces towards the end of the 19th Century. Today, cremation furnaces burn at around 1,000 degrees Celsius and can turn a body into basic chemical compounds - what they think of as the ashes - within 2-3 hours.
The cremation begins with the furnace chamber being preheated to around 600 degrees Celsius. Once this heat is reached, the coffin moves quickly through mechanised doors into the chamber to avoid loss of heat.
When the door closes, the heat inside rises rapidly to 1,000 degrees Celsius. This extreme heat dries the body before the remaining soft tissues are vapourised and eventually, the bones calcify. It is these fragments of bone that are then processed into what they refer to as ‘ashes’.
