Coffins and caskets
Choose from a range of materials and designs – simple and understated through to ornate or colourful.
Unattended funerals in Lewisham
An unattended funeral is a simple cremation with nobody present. Our funeral director in Lewisham takes care of everything and returns the ashes to you.
Proud to be part of the Dignity group
Experts in care
Setting the highest standards for care, service and facilities
Supporting communities
Working with charities and carers to improve support
Local teams
Guiding families with local sensitivity and understanding
Francis Chappell & Sons Funeral Directors, Belmont Hill
We are near the Lewisham Clock Tower, five minutes walk from Lewisham Police Station.
- 4 Lee High Road, Lewisham, London, SE13 5LQ
Call 24 hours a day:
020 8852 2936
Office opening hours:
Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm- Saturday, By appointment only
- More about this branch
What an unattended funeral costs in Lewisham
One price, with nothing else to pay. This is what an unattended funeral costs at our Lewisham funeral director.
Unattended funeral
- Our services
- £1,645
- A simple, Unattended Funeral coffin, or choose any other and pay only the difference
- Care in our first class facilities
- A cremation without a ceremony or mourners present
- Total
- £1,645
What an unattended funeral includes
Everything below is included in the price.
- Included:Collecting and caring for the person who has died
- Included:A simple coffin
- Included:The cremation fee and all necessary paperwork
- Included:Returning the ashes to you, or scattering them at the crematorium
Talk to someone in Lewisham
Our local team can talk you through the options and what everything costs, with no obligation.
What families say about us
Rated 4.4 / 5 based on 13 reviews.
Rated 5 / 5
From the very beginning we were made comfortable with all that had to be done for our mum who had a wonderful life I’d 96 years
Jo was amazing she lead us through the process listening to what we wanted and she did it for us the service was amazing and we were able to say goodbye to mum with all her family around her
Nick who oversaw the day and the guys were
Wonderful looked after us and watched as my mums grandsons carried her in and saw to all our needs on day
I must add one of the guys dropped the flower cards through my door that night as I forgot to take them
The day was perfect because of the attention Francis Chappells staff put into it
I would gladly and sincerely recommend them to other who find themselves seeking help on where to start they went over and beyond our expectations and made a sad day a blessing
Thank you Jo, Nick, Rocky and the guys
Our heartfelt thanks
Susan & Denis
& All the Delaney Family 💐💐💐💐💐
Jo & Nick
Lee High Road
Lewisham
Susan Morris, 14 October 2026
Rated 1 / 5
Our visit here to arrange our Mums funeral went smooth enough. Fast forward over 3 weeks later to the day of her funeral and the disaster started to unfold.
My mum had organised her own funeral down to the coffin she wanted. While waiting outside the church half an hour before the service was due to begin my brother received a call from Francis Chappell saying there was a problem with the coffin my Mum had selected and it hadn’t turned up at the funeral home in time. She would therefore be in a totally different coffin, completely different to her choice. We had no option other than to accept this as there was already 40 people at the church waiting for the service to start.
On arrival the coffin was indeed completely different. A dark mahogany basic looking casket in contrast to the night wood premium one our Mum had chosen.
The chapel where our Mums service was held is very old and quite small but we were reassured on the day we arranged they had previously held several funerals there and were well experienced with the issues faced. But on arrival the four pallbearers struggled with the coffin getting in the door which resulted them dropping the coffin to knee height and almost dropping our Mum completely in the aisle. They then proceeded to shuffle the rest of the way up the aisle. It wasn’t helped that there at least a foot of height difference between the tallest and shortest pallbearer. It also appeared the smallest one was wearing the biggest ones suit!
When the service was over the pallbearers went to lift the coffin into their shoulders directed by the lead funeral director. It ended up with three of them facing the exit but the other guy was facing the other way. All the time our Mum was balanced gingerly on their shoulders.
On going back to the funeral cars things didn’t get any better. One of the cars had accident damage, the car we were in had used tissues in the door even though we were the first funeral of the morning. As we left Falconwood crematorium the driver didn’t the way and ended using his phone ( not hands free)to call the other driver to slow him down.
The whole event was extremely distressing to our whole family and we did complain to Dignity who own Francis Chappell. The found in our favour in all 8 or so things we raised, but saying that the compensation they offered us was an insult which only added to the distress.
So after our experience I would say think very carefully before you make a choice of who looks after your loved one on their final journey. You only get one go at it…
Menzo, 5 September 2026
Rated 5 / 5
Barry and the whole team were a great help. Everything went as planned. Could not have asked for more.
James O'Connor, 4 August 2026
FAQs
We're here to answer all your questions. If anything isn't clear, please ask us.
Helpful organisations
Grief after bereavement
Bereavement and grief affect people in different ways. There's no right or wrong way to feel. The NHS website has advice and places to go for support.
Help with funeral costs
If you get certain benefits you may be eligible for the Funeral Expenses Payment. You can find out more, check your eligibility, and apply on the GOV.UK website.
Report the death
There are government organisations that need to know when someone dies. Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report the death to most of them in one go.
Advice and guidance
Practical guides on unattended funerals, direct cremation and what to do next.
What to do when someone dies
The first steps after a death, in order – the medical certificate, registering, calling a funeral director and dealing with the estate, with timings.
Types of funeral
The types of funeral to choose between – burial or cremation, religious or not, ceremony or none – and how each can still be personal.
Direct cremation funeral plans
A plan covering cremation without a service – what is and is not included, how you can still personalise it, and how paying, changing and cancelling work.
How to reduce funeral costs
Five practical ways to bring a funeral bill down, who is responsible for paying it, and why a cheaper funeral need not be a lesser one.
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Talk to your local branch to get a quote
Your local funeral director can talk through our costs and any personal touches you want to include. Let us know what you're thinking and we'll work to your budget.