Pickard & Beale Funeral Directors, Maidstone
About our Maidstone funeral home
From our funeral home on Brewer Street in Maidstone, we serve the surrounding community. Our central location makes us easily accessible to nearby villages and towns such as Allington, Downswood, New Hythe and Chatham. We are a long-established funeral directors, having had a reliable presence in the region since the 19th century.
At what can be a difficult time for you and your family, we are here to provide comfort and support. Our considerable experience within the funeral trade allows us to offer guidance and advice, when you need it, so that the funeral for your loved one is faithful to your wishes.
This means we are able to tailor the ceremony to your request, regardless of whether your preference is for a traditional, contemporary, religious or humanist funeral. For instance, if you choose to have a woodland burial, we will arrange it to meet your exact expectations. The same goes for a cremation, an uplifting celebration of life, or whatever style of funeral you decide to have.
There is a comfortably appointed chapel of rest in which you and your family can spend time with your loved one, should you wish. It was opened in a dedication ceremony by the former Bishop of Maidstone, the Right Reverend Graham Cray, and provides a calm and private space in which to take a moment of contemplation.
Our commitment to you is paramount and, if it is more convenient, we will open our funeral home outside of normal hours to allow access to the chapel of rest.
We at Pickard & Beale Funeral Directors are available 24 hours of the day. When you feel ready to talk, we will be here to listen.
What we offer
- Advice and guidance at every step, including registering the death
- Arrangements that are tailored to meet your family's needs
- Local expertise and knowledge
- Cremation or burial at any local crematorium or burial site
- Funeral services of all faiths and cultures
- Viewing of the deceased in the chapel of rest
- Hearses, funeral vehicles and bespoke transport options
- Memorials and tributes
- Prepaid funeral plans
Funeral Services with distinction
Many Dignity funeral directors have been part of the local community for generations and it is a privilege to serve those who live beside us. Our rich and lengthy heritage ensures we can deliver our service with local knowledge and unparalleled expertise.
Our funeral services
If you’re looking for a traditional or contemporary funeral with a service, you should consider our Attended Funeral. If you want us to arrange a simple cremation without mourners present, our Unattended Funeral may better suit your needs.
View our Standardised Price List, Additional Options Price List and Crematoria Price List.
The Unattended Funeral
We will help you arrange a simple funeral consisting of a direct cremation without mourners present.Our Unattended Funeral allows friends and family to commemorate your loved one in their own way. Our expert funeral directors will provide all necessary care, while offering advice and support every step of the way. A cremation will then be carried out without mourners present, overseen by one of our qualified attendants.Find out moreFrom£1595plus £- (Includes cost of cremation).plus £- (Includes cost of cremation).![Funeral Service Image]()
The Unattended Funeral
We will help you arrange a simple funeral consisting of a direct cremation without mourners present.From£1595plus £- (Includes cost of cremation).plus £- (Includes cost of cremation).Our Unattended Funeral allows friends and family to commemorate your loved one in their own way. Our expert funeral directors will provide all necessary care, while offering advice and support every step of the way. A cremation will then be carried out without mourners present, overseen by one of our qualified attendants.![Funeral Service Image]()
The Attended Funeral
A fully personalised funeral arranged and conducted by our expert teams in accordance with your exact wishes.Our expert team will take care of your loved one with the utmost dignity and respect, while we help arrange a personalised funeral with any additional services you wish.Find out moreFrom£2695plus £1068 estimated third party costs for cost of cremation and attendance of a celebrant or minister.plus £1068 estimated third party costs for cost of cremation and attendance of a celebrant or minister.![Funeral Service Image]()
The Attended Funeral
A fully personalised funeral arranged and conducted by our expert teams in accordance with your exact wishes.From£2695plus £1068 estimated third party costs for cost of cremation and attendance of a celebrant or minister.plus £1068 estimated third party costs for cost of cremation and attendance of a celebrant or minister.Our Memorials
Choose from a variety of options, including headstones and urns to memorial plaques, vases, statues, jewellery and plenty more. With a Memorial, you can create a tribute that especially reflects the life, love and cherished memories of your loved one.Find out moreFrom-plus £- (There’s a wide range available and the price is dependent on product).plus £- (There’s a wide range available and the price is dependent on product).![Our Memorials]()
Our Memorials
Choose from a variety of options, including headstones and urns to memorial plaques, vases, statues, jewellery and plenty more. With a Memorial, you can create a tribute that especially reflects the life, love and cherished memories of your loved one.From-plus £- (There’s a wide range available and the price is dependent on product).plus £- (There’s a wide range available and the price is dependent on product).
Where to find us
Address
Directions and Parking
There is car parking available at the rear of the branch.
Funeral Home Opening Times
| Day of the Week | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
24 Hour Availability
Supporting you along the way
![What to do when someone dies]()
What to do when someone dies
It’s perfectly normal to be unsure of what you need to do following the death of a loved one. These step-by-step guides will carefully explain everything you need to when someone dies, helping you through each stage of the process.Find out more![Planning a funeral]()
Planning a funeral
Our guides on planning a funeral will ensure your loved one's send off is a personal and unique celebration of their life. We will explain how our Funeral Directors will help you plan a funeral service and support you at every stage.Find out more![The funeral service]()
The day of the funeral
This guide will explain what happens at a funeral; including the funeral procession, funeral service, committal service and the wake. We will be here to help you through every step of the journey.Find out more
Frequently asked questions
When someone dies, the first steps will depend on how and where the person passed away. Our step-by-step guides will walk you through the practical steps. For additional support and personal advice, please get in touch with us.
You don't have to make an appointment at our funeral homes. However, doing so will ensure that someone can be available to cater to your needs. When arranging a funeral, our Funeral Directors are happy to visit you in your own home, if required.
Third party funeral costs are additional charges which we will manage for you and attach to your single invoice. Get in touch with us to confirm costs and plan a funeral to fit your budget.
If you choose to arrange the funeral with us, you will be given the option of a complimentary Funeral Notice. We will set it up for you using the details discussed during the arrangements. All we need is an email address.
Dignity Funeral Plans let you pay for your funeral in advance and at today's price. It's a way of taking control of the unexpected, setting out the arrangements and limiting the costs by paying for the services included in the funeral plan upfront.
We are a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors and as such we abide by The Funeral Director Code. We also have a legal obligation to try and ensure the person who is arranging a funeral has the right to do so, or has permission from those who do.
If you are aware that someone has been appointed as the administrator, you should only arrange the funeral with this person's agreement.
If there is no Will or Letters of Administration, then the responsibility would pass to the next of kin.A Memorial is a way of creating a lasting memory to help remember a loved one.
Dignity has been established for over 200 years and is one of the UK's leading providers of Funerals and with an 'Excellent' Trustpilot rating (02/24). We are proud to help our customers every year with a diverse range of Memorial products and services to help remember their loved ones.
We offer a wide range of products – from traditional headstones, kerb sets, urns and benches to remembrance trees, plaques and vases. We also offer more personal and modern options such as jewellery, pin badges and photo related memorial products. As well as completely customised items.To organise your Memorial contact us on
01622 677155From 9 September 2024, there will no longer be a doctor's fee in England and Wales when arranging a funeral. This is because from this date, all deaths in England and Wales will be independently viewed, either by a relevant coroner or by a Medical Examiner and the cost will be met by the NHS.
A Medical Examiner is a specifically trained independent senior doctor who will scrutinise all deaths across a local area that do not fall under the coroner's jurisdiction. By providing a greater level of scrutiny over the cause of deaths; it is hoped that the introduction of Medical Examiners will make it less likely that unnatural causes of death will go unnoticed; that the number of deaths unnecessarily referred to the coroner will be reduced and that national data about causes of death will be captured with greater accuracy.
Medical Examiners, or Medical Examiner Officers, will also be available to meet with families, or their representatives, if they wish to discuss the cause of death.