Funeral Costs and Information
Standardised Price List
All funeral directors are legally required to publish this price list for a standardised set of products and services. This is to help you think through your option and make choices, and to let you compare prices between different funeral directors (because prices can vary).
Attended Funeral (funeral director’s charges only) £2,450.00
This is a funeral where family and friends have a ceremony, event or service for the deceased person at the same time as they attend their burial or cremation.
| Taking care of all necessary legal and administrative arrangements | £525 |
| Collecting and transporting the deceased person from the place of death (normally within 15 miles of the funeral director’s premises) into the funeral director’s care. | £200 |
| Care of the deceased person before the funeral in appropriate facilities. The deceased person will be kept at the funeral director’s branch premises. | £725 |
| Providing a suitable coffin — this will be made from veneered oak | £375 |
| Viewing of the deceased person for family friends, by appointment with the funeral director (where viewing is requested by the customer) | £50 |
| At a date and time you agree with the funeral director, taking the deceased person direct to the agreed cemetery or crematorium (normally within 20 miles of the funeral director’s premises) in a hearse or other appropriate vehicle | £575 |
Unattended Funeral
This is a funeral where family and friends may choose to have a ceremony, event or service for the deceased person, but they do not attend the burial or cremation itself
| Burial (funeral director’s charges only) | POA |
| Cremation (funeral director’s charges plus the cremation fee) 2 | £1,500 |
Fees you must pay
| For an Attended or Unattended burial funeral, the burial fee. 1 In this local area, the typical cost of the burial fee for local residents is: For a new grave, you will also need to pay for the plot; for an existing grave with a memorial in place, you may need to pay a removal/replacement fee. In addition, the cemetery may charge a number of other fees. | £850-£1000 |
| For an Attended cremation funeral, the cremation fee 2 | |
| In this local area, the typical cost of a cremation for local residents is: | £825-£1124 |
Please discuss any specific religious, belief-based and/or cultural requirements that you have with
the funeral director.
Additional Funeral Director Products and Services
This funeral director may be able to supply a range of optional, additional products and services, or to arrange (on your behalf) for a third party to supply them. Examples include:
| Additional mileage (price per mile) | £2.50 |
| Additional transfers of the deceased person’s body (e.g. to their home, to a place of worship etc.) (price per transfer) | £295 |
| Collection and delivery of ashes | POA |
| Embalming | £250 |
| Funeral officiant (e.g. celebrant, minister of religion etc.) | £200-£265 |
| Services supplied outside of normal office hours | POA |
The funeral director can give you a full list of what they can supply. They are likely to charge for these additional products and services, so you may choose to take care of some arrangements without their involvement, or you can use a different supplier.
1. This fee (which is sometimes called the interment fee) is the charge made for digging and closing a new grave, or for reopening and closing an existing grave.
2. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you will usually need to pay doctors’ fees as well. This is the charge for two doctors to sign the Medical Certificates for Cremation.
Westerleigh Crematorium fees
- Standard fee for Attended Service £1,040.00 (10am to 4.30am)
- Reduced fee for Attended Service £777.00 (9.00am – 9.45am)
Canford & South Bristol Crematorium fees
- Standard fee for Attended Service £1,030.00 (10.30am to 3.30am)
- Reduced fee for Attended Service £730.00 (9.00am, 9.30am & 10am)
South Glos Cemetery fees
Bristol Memorial Woodlands
Church of England standard fees
Disclosure of interests
- The ownership of HG Harris, F Woodruff & L & J Gulwell is Mr Austin Sheppard.
- There is no business or material financial interest in a price comparison website.
- a: There has been no material charitable donation to a third party.
b: There has been no charitable contribution or payment of gratuity to a third party.
c: There has been no material form of payment to a third party that does not relate to a cost incurred or a service provided by the third party on behalf of or to HG Harris, F Woodruff & L & J Gulwell.
Terms of Business
We are a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) and subscribe to their current Codes of Practice, a copy of which is available upon request. We aim to act in a professional manner and provide a courteous, sensitive, and dignified service to you.
1 Estimates and Expenses. The estimate sets out the services we agree to supply. This estimate is an indication of the charges likely to be incurred based on the information and details we know at the date of the estimate. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the estimate, the charges are liable to alteration particularly where third parties change their rates or charges. We may not know the amount of third-party charges in advance of the funeral; however, we give you a best estimate of such charges in the written estimate. The actual amount of the charges will be detailed and shown in the final account. We may need to make an extra charge in accordance with prices published in our current price list.
2 Payment Arrangements. The funeral account is due for payment within thirty days of our invoice, unless otherwise agreed by us in writing. Also, we ask to be notified if your account is forwarded to a solicitor, acting on your behalf. We ask for a deposit of £1500 before the funeral.
3 Indemnity. You are to indemnify us in full and hold us harmless from all expenses and liabilities we may incur (directly or indirectly including financing costs and including legal costs on a full indemnity basis) following any breach by you of any of your obligations under these Terms. This means that you are liable to us for losses we incur because you do not comply with these Terms. For example, we will charge you an administration fee where we receive a cheque from you which is subsequently not honoured or if we write to remind you that an account is overdue. If we instruct debt collection agents, we may also recover from you the fees we incur. We may claim those losses from you at any time and, if we have to take legal action, we will ask the Court to make you pay our legal costs.
4 Data Protection & GDPR 2018. We respect the confidential nature of the information given to us and, where you provide us with personal data (“data”), we will ensure that the data will be held securely, in confidence and processed for the purpose of carrying out our services. In order to provide our services, we may need to pass such data to third parties and those third parties, who are performing some of the services for you, may contact you directly. Under the Act you have the right to know what data we hold on you and you can, by applying to us in writing and paying a fee, receive copies of that data. The new GDPR regulations are dealt with by new written publications. You confirm that you have permission to also give consent to use all information you supply, including your relatives & friends, unless you specify.
5 Cooling-Off Period. The Cancellation of Consumer Contracts made in the Consumer’s Home or Place of Work etc Regulations 2008 may give you the right to terminate this agreement in the cooling-off period of 14 days. If you wish the performance of the agreement to which this right applies to commence before the end of the cooling-off period, you must sign the authority in the form which will be handed to you. In the event that you exercise the right to cancel this contract during the cooling-off period, you will be required to pay a reasonable amount for goods and services already supplied.
6 Termination. This agreement may also be terminated before the services are delivered: (1) by us if you fail to honour your obligations under these Terms and (2) by you communicating to us in writing, terminating your instructions. If we or you terminate your instructions you may, depending upon the reasons for termination, be asked to pay a reasonable amount based upon the work carried out up to the time your termination is received.
7 Standards of Service. The NAFD’s and SAIF’s Code of Practices require that we provide a high-quality service in all aspects. If you have any questions or concerns about the service we provide to you, please raise them in the first instance with our designated senior person. If that does not resolve the problem to your satisfaction the National Association of Funeral Directors through the NAFD Resolve provides a low-cost dispute resolution service, as an alternative to legal action. You can contact the Resolve at 618 Warwick Road, Solihull, West Midlands B91 1AA. The Resolve, and how it can be accessed, is explained in the leaflet entitled “Your Right to Put It Right” made available to you and on display on our premises. The Resolve provides independent conciliation All dates and times provided on the estimate cannot be guaranteed until final bookings are made and confirmed. Although we endeavour to provide a prompt and efficient service for you, there may be instances where, because of circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to fulfil our obligations to you on the date or time specified. Where this is the case, we will attempt to contact you in advance, using the details overleaf, and advise you of alternative arrangements. We cannot be responsible for the performance of all third parties which may include, but not specifically, Crematoria, Councils, Grave Diggers, Ministers, Civil Celebrants, Florists, Printers, Vehicle Hire, Newspapers, Hospitals, Doctors, Coroner, Registrar, International Repatriation Service Providers, etc.
8 Agreement. Your continuing instructions will amount to your continuing acceptance of these Terms of Business. Your instructions will not create any right enforceable (by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties Act 1999) by any person not identified as our client. If any of these terms are unenforceable as drafted:- it will not affect the enforceability of any other of these Terms; and – if it would be enforceable if amended, it will be treated as so amended. Nothing in these Terms restricts or limits our liability for death or personal injury. This agreement is subject to English Law. If you decide to commence legal action, you may do so, in any appropriate UK Court.
9. Additional legal requirements. Any inappropriate items found in a coffin during our final closing down procedure will be discreetly disposed of.
10. If additional bearers are required, due to the size of Coffin or difficult access to the place of service then additional costs of £30 per bearer will be charged.
11. Any unclaimed items of clothing / effects will be discreetly disposed of after 14 days of date of death.
12. Instructions regarding cremated remains are to be issued by the cremation applicant and remain their ownership. Unless otherwise agreed.
Additional Options Price List
A Direct Cremation
Not everyone wants a traditional funeral, and a direct cremation takes care of all the essentials of a funeral and is ideal for those who do not wish to have a ceremony, as it has no procession and has no attendance of mourners.
A direct cremation is an affordable alternative to a full-service funeral. Cremation fees are included, along with doctors’ fees, conveying the deceased into our care in our private ambulance (within a 40 mile radius), care of the deceased, a simple coffin, transportation to the crematorium. The ashes can be collected or scattered at the crematorium.
This type of funeral gives you the freedom to remember someone in your own way, and a low-cost, respectful, fuss free funeral. We still guarantee our high standard of care to you and your loved one.
The cost of our direct cremation is £1500.00.
For a simple funeral our fees are as follows
| Our Professional Charges for arranging the funeral in accordance with instructions. Including preparation of the deceased; use of our Private Chapel of Rest; preparation of paperwork and liaison with the appropriate authorities, as necessary. Collection and administration of charity donations. | £1,275.00 |
| Bringing the deceased into our care, within a 40 mile radius, to our Chapel of Rest | £150.00 |
| Care of deceased, and provision of modern, hygienic mortuary facilities | £200.00 |
| Provision of hearse | £350.00 |
| Provision of veneered oak coffin (alternative coffins listed below) | £375.00 |
| Total of our fees for a simple funeral | £2,350.00 |
Although our fees include all that we do whilst caring for you and your loved one, there are also third party fees, known as disbursements, which make up the total price.
These may include crematorium, church, doctors, minister/celebrant, newspapers announcements, orders of service, floral tributes, interment of ashes etc. We have listed below a few examples of these fees but can give you an exact price when we know the specific details.
| Doctor’s fee for cremation certificate | £82.00 |
| C of E vicar/Methodist minister at crematorium | £206.00 (plus possible travelling expenses) |
| Funeral Celebrant | £200.00- £265.00 |
| Service in church, followed by committal service at crematorium/cemetery | from £206.00 (plus any additional incremental church charges) |
| Burial in a churchyard (following on from a service in church) | from £331.00 |
| Announcement in local newspapers (approximately) | £70.00-£200.00 |
| Gravedigger (varies in different areas) (approximately) | £400.00-£500.00 |
Additional services offered by us
An alternative coffin
Other options to the veneered oak coffin (listed above) are as follows. These coffins can be viewed, if wished, in our coffin display room.
| Cardboard coffin | £350.00 |
| Veneered oak coffin with raised lid or panelled sides | £450.00 |
| Veneered oak coffin with raised lid and panelled sides | £545.00 |
| Solid oak coffin | £815.00 |
| Solid oak coffin with raised lid | £900.00 |
| Solid oak coffin with raised lid and panelled sides | £950.00 |
| Wicker coffin | From £650.00 |
| Picture coffin (approximately) | £700.00 |
Miscellaneous
| Limousines | £300.00 each |
| Printed Orders of Service Prices vary, depending on quantity and number of pages and photos | Please ask for details |
| An alternative hearse – for example horse drawn hearse, motorcycle hearse | Please ask for details |
| Ashes solid Oak Casket | £150.00 |
| Ashes Scatter Tubes | from £25.00 |
| Urns and keepsakes | Please ask for details |
Funeral Plans
To help relieve their families, an increasing number of people are planning their own funerals and quite often paying for them in advance.
We provide funeral plans in association with Golden Charter. Our most popular plan is ‘The Independent Way’ where we find out your wishes, and work out the costs involved locally. You decide on what kind of funeral you would like, you can specify every detail in advance, and you can personalise your arrangements any way you please.
By paying in advance our plans let you beat inflation, effectively freezing the funeral costs at today’s prices. When the time comes‚ your loved ones will be spared much of the burden of organising a funeral. There will be no bill left for them to pay for the services covered by the plan, which has the financial security of being held in an independent trust fund.
We guarantee that, as long as you stay in the same area, whatever you pay for on the plan, our costs and third party, no matter how much they increase, your family will not be asked to pay another penny.
All of our help and guidance with arranging funeral plans is free of charge. Golden Charter charge a one off arrangement fee of £285, but there are no additional charges in the future, meaning that all of your money is invested in your funeral plan.
These are just some of the benefits. If you would like more details, please contact us for a friendly chat. As we are funeral directors, and not salesmen, there will no pressure or obligation.
