The chapel

Astwood Chapel

Refurbished in 2015 our chapel provides a peaceful, attractive ceremony room that is flexible to your needs.

  • We have eleven 45 minutes services per day with the last service at 5.30pm. This allows plenty of time to be seated for the service.
  • A simpler service is available at 9.00 and 9.30 in the morning at a reduced fee.
  • An extended service can be provided for an additional fee.
  • The funeral service can be as personal or unique as you wish.
  • The chapel can be personalised for any religion or belief.
  • Our uniformed chapel attendant will be available at each service.
  • The chapel is warm, welcoming and decorated with fresh flowers.
  • We have seating for around 105 mourners plus ample standing room inside.
  • The service can be relayed outside via speakers for large attendances.
  • We have a modern computerised music system & Webcasting via Obitus
  • Floral tributes will remain displayed in the Flower Terrace for a minimum of 3 days.

Our chapel and offices are always open to visitors who would like to inspect the premises before a service. It is always advisable to ring in advance to ensure the chapel is free for you to look around.

Cremations

Astwood Chapel

Our team work to the highest standards in the sector and are all trained by the FBCA. Rest assured we will look after your loved ones with dignity and respect at all times throughout the process.

Some families have a religious service with hymns, some people have a civil service with poems and popular music while some would have no service at all. We are here to ensure you have the service that ‘you’ want. During your time in the chapel we will take care of the music for the service and ensure that the chapel is ready as requested.

Once the service is finished and the mourners have left the chapel the coffin will be taken into the crematory.  The coffin is cremated exactly as it is received in the crematory and is always cremated separately. This will take place within a few hours.

The cremated remains (ashes) will be ready for collection the following day. The ashes can be collected by the Funeral Director or the applicant for cremation. Another member of the family can collect the ashes only with the written permission of the applicant.

The crematorium has an “open door” policy and we welcome families to inspect the chapel crematory either before a service or following the cremation. Please contact the office to arrange for a visit.

Following the cremation service, the crematorium will send details of our memorial choices to the applicant which you purchase directly from our website.

Burials

Astwood Cemetery

Our experienced team will ensure that not only the grave being excavated but also the surrounding graves are respected and protected. If access is difficult, we will hand dig the grave to minimise any local impact.

Burial ceremonies typically take around 30 minutes but can be longer if necessary, with attendance traditionally unlimited but social distancing can limit these figures depending on the location of the grave.

Whenever possible we scatter flowers in the grave pre-burial and use quality walk boards around the gravesides unless we can’t get access due to the location.

Where soil boxes are required, we risk assess the impact and mitigate any risk of damage to other graves. The grave dressing used is of the highest quality and is cleaned regularly to make sure that visitors to the burial ceremony gain the best experience possible in difficult circumstances.

Music & webcasting

Music score with single flower

Music is often an integral part of the service and choice of music is most important to families. The funeral director will liaise with Obitus for all music and any tributes for each service in advance. We have access to a large internet library of music and provided it is commercially available, we are able to play any appropriate piece of music during the service. Alternatively, there is a provision for an electric organ that is available at no extra charge. We are also able to record your service onto an audio CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, USB for an additional fee. We also have live website castings that can be arranged through Obitus for additional fees.

Please speak to your funeral director on how to add this to your service. Please note that the live webcast has a maximum of 100 logins per service due to the streaming capacity.

The above services are available with advanced notice. Your funeral director or the cemetery office can make suitable arrangements.