London · England
A simple, dignified cremation arranged across all 32 London boroughs and the City — handled by trusted local funeral directors and London-area crematoria, never centralised hundreds of miles away.
Trusted across the UK
About our service in London
If you’ve lost someone in London or anywhere across Greater London, we can help you arrange a basic cremation — also called a direct or unattended cremation. The whole process happens locally to you: an independent, accredited funeral director near you brings your loved one into care at their own funeral home, and the cremation itself takes place at one of the established London-area crematoria. Nothing is moved between cities.
London is one of the best-served cremation areas in the UK. The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium at Manor Park is among Europe’s largest, while Mortlake, Putney Vale, Streatham Park, West Norwood, Hendon, Eltham, Beckenham, Garston, Ruislip, South Essex (Upminster) and Croydon all sit within easy reach. Your local funeral director arranges the cremation at the appropriate facility for the borough you’re in — Inner London, the Home Counties fringe, or anywhere in between.
The price is £1,499 — a single all-inclusive figure covering everything that needs to happen. The team is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. London bereavement involves more paperwork than most areas because each borough operates its own register office, and several London coroners cover specific clusters of boroughs — we explain the right steps for your borough on the call.
Pricing in London
The £1,499 price covers collection from a hospital or coroner’s mortuary. Collection from a home, care home or hospice in London or anywhere in Greater London requires a £250 Priority Care collection fee — making the total £1,749. Always explained on the phone before anything happens, never added afterwards.
Local crematoria
We work with crematoria across all four quadrants of Greater London — including the City of London (Manor Park), Mortlake, Putney Vale, West Norwood, Streatham Park, Hendon, Eltham, Croydon, South Essex (Upminster) and Beckenham. Your local funeral director arranges the cremation at the appropriate facility for your borough; you’ll know the date and time in advance.
Aldersbrook Road, Manor Park, London E12 5DQ
One of the largest cemetery and crematorium sites in Europe, opened in 1856 and a Grade I listed landscape. The crematorium serves East London, the City and outer East London boroughs.
Townmead Road, Richmond TW9 4EN
A long-established crematorium beside the Thames in south-west London, operated by the Mortlake Crematorium Board on behalf of Hammersmith & Fulham, Hounslow, Richmond upon Thames and Wandsworth.
Stag Lane, London SW15 3DZ
Sitting in 47 acres beside Wimbledon Common, Putney Vale opened in 1938. Operated by Wandsworth Council, it serves much of south-west and south central London.
Norwood Road, London SE27 9JU
Set within the Magnificent Seven Victorian cemeteries (1837), West Norwood serves much of south London and is owned by Lambeth Council. Two chapels and historic Greek mausolea.
Rowan Road, London SW16 5JG
A privately owned (Dignity) crematorium in south London, with two chapels and gardens of remembrance. Long established, serving Lambeth, Croydon, Merton and Wandsworth.
Holders Hill Road, London NW7 1NB
Operated by Barnet Council, Hendon serves much of north and north-west London including Brent, Camden, Enfield, Harrow and Westminster. Set in the grounds of Hendon Cemetery.
Crown Woods Way, London SE9 2AZ
Operated by Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham jointly. Modern facilities serving south-east London.
Ockendon Road, Upminster RM14 2UY
Operated by Havering Council, the principal crematorium serving Barking & Dagenham, Havering and the eastern London fringe.
Mitcham Road, Croydon CR9 3AT
The main crematorium for Croydon and parts of Sutton, Merton and the southern London boroughs. Operated by Croydon Council.
The exact crematorium used depends on the area of Greater London you’re in, and on availability. The local funeral director arranges this directly and tells you the date and time in advance.
Areas covered
We arrange basic cremations across the whole of Greater London. The £1,499 price is the same in every area.
Don’t see your area? We almost certainly cover it — call us on 0333 242 1405 to check.
What to expect
Five clear steps, taken at your pace, with someone to talk you through every one.
You call us
Day or night. Our team listens and gently takes you through what needs to happen.
Local London care
An independent funeral director near you brings your loved one into their care at their own funeral home.
Paperwork
We help with all legal paperwork and book the cremation at a local crematorium.
Local Greater London cremation
A dignified cremation takes place at one of Greater London's established crematoria.
Ashes returned
The ashes can be returned to you for a memorial of your choosing, or scattered with care.
Collection from London hospitals, care homes and private addresses across all 32 boroughs and the City typically happens within hours of your call, day or night. The local funeral director arrives in their own vehicle and brings your loved one into care at their funeral home — never into a centralised facility hundreds of miles away. London traffic and the city’s scale are factored into the timing, but the principle is the same: local care, local crematorium, local price.
Registering a death in London
Unlike most UK cities, London does not have a single central register office. Each of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London operates its own register office, and a death must be registered at the office covering the borough where the death occurred. So a death at a Westminster hospital is registered at Westminster Register Office; a death at home in Hackney goes to Hackney Register Office, and so on. The government’s Find a register office service at gov.uk lets you search by postcode of death. All London register offices use Tell Us Once. Most are appointment-only and most allow same-week or next-week appointments. The Medical Examiner or coroner releases the paperwork to the registrar electronically before your appointment. A death must normally be registered within 5 days unless the coroner is involved, in which case the timing follows the coroner’s timeline.
If your loved one died in hospital, the hospital’s bereavement office handles the paperwork that needs to go to the Medical Examiner before the death can be registered. Your funeral director will normally liaise with them on your behalf.
University College London Hospitals (UCLH)
Bereavement Office, ground floor, 235 Euston Road NW1 2BU. Call ahead before visiting; staff coordinate with the Medical Examiner.
King's College Hospital
Bereavement Office at the Denmark Hill site, SE5 9RS. Phone first to arrange a time.
Guy's and St Thomas'
Bereavement Care, ground floor, Lambeth Wing, St Thomas' Hospital SE1 7EH. Open weekdays.
Imperial College Healthcare (St Mary's, Charing Cross, Hammersmith)
Bereavement Services with offices at each main site. Call the central bereavement line for guidance.
Royal London Hospital
Bereavement Office, Whitechapel E1 1FR. The Royal London houses a public mortuary serving the East London coroner.
When the coroner is involved
London is divided across several coroner areas: Inner North London (covering Camden, Hackney, Islington, Tower Hamlets), Inner West London (Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster), Inner South London (Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark, Wandsworth), East London (Barking, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, City), North London (Barnet, Enfield, Haringey), West London (Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow), South London (Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Merton, Sutton). Bexley falls under the South London coroner. The City of London has its own coroner.
If a death is unexpected, sudden, or the cause is not clear, the Medical Examiner may refer the case to the relevant London coroner. Around 40% of deaths in England and Wales are referred to a coroner — it’s common and it doesn’t mean anything is wrong.
If a post-mortem is required, your loved one will be held at one of the London public mortuaries (Iverson Road, Kennington, or the Royal London) and released to your funeral director once the post-mortem is complete. The coroner’s officer will keep you informed throughout. Inquests can take longer, but the cremation itself can usually proceed once the coroner issues the relevant authorisation.
Local support
Grief takes time, and there’s no right way to feel. These local services in Greater London provide free, confidential support — whether you need someone to talk to today or in a few months’ time.
Free, confidential bereavement support across London. National helpline plus local volunteer-led services in most boroughs.
Visit websiteUK-wide signposting service connecting bereaved people to the right support locally. Useful when you're not sure what kind of help you need.
Visit websiteCounselling and support for LGBTQ+ Londoners experiencing bereavement.
Visit websiteNational charity supporting families bereaved by stillbirth or neonatal death.
Visit websitePeer support for parents bereaved by the death of a child of any age.
Visit websiteBereavement counselling and support open to anyone in south London, regardless of whether you used hospice services.
Visit websiteHelp with funeral costs
If you’re receiving certain benefits — Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit — and you’re responsible for arranging the funeral, you may qualify for the government’s Funeral Expenses Payment. This is a one-off payment that can cover most of the cremation cost and a contribution towards funeral director fees, paid back later from the estate if there is one.
Apply through gov.uk or by calling the Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 731 0469. The Funeral Expenses Payment can be claimed up to six months after the funeral, but the sooner the better.
If you’re struggling and can’t cover the £1,499 in advance, we can talk through payment options on the phone. Some London local authorities also offer a Public Health Funeral when there’s no family or no funds — this is rare and is a council-arranged cremation, not what we provide here.
We’re not financial advisors and can’t make benefit applications on your behalf, but the team is happy to talk you through what’s available before you commit to anything.
Frequently asked questions
Read more
If you’d like to read more about how a basic cremation works, what your price covers, or what to do in the days after someone has died, these guides are written in plain English.
How it works, why families choose it, and how it differs from a traditional funeral.
Read more →
Every item your £1,499 price covers — and what it doesn’t.
Read more →
The full price, Priority Care collection fee, and help with funeral costs.
Read more →
The practical first steps in the first 24 to 72 hours, depending on where the death took place.
Read the guide →
Registering a death, when the coroner is involved, and other practical guides.
All guides →
The questions families most often ask before arranging a basic cremation.
FAQs →
Other locations
The same simple, dignified £1,499 basic cremation is available across the wider region. If your loved one died outside London itself, the appropriate local funeral director and crematorium will be used.
Basic Cremation in Reading
Berkshire
Basic Cremation in Oxford
Oxfordshire
Basic Cremation in Slough
Berkshire
Basic Cremation in Watford
Hertfordshire
Basic Cremation in Guildford
Surrey
Basic Cremation in Crawley
West Sussex
Basic Cremation in Maidstone
Kent
Basic Cremation in Luton
Bedfordshire
Don’t see your area? We cover the wider UK — view all locations or call us on 0333 242 1405.
There's always someone available to talk you through what needs to happen. Calls are answered day and night, every day of the year.
0333 242 1405Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week