Arranging a burial

Our Bereavement Service manages three local cemeteries and we're happy to offer help to anyone wishing to arrange a burial.

You can contact us with any questions or to better understand what happens at a funeral service.

A funeral can usually only take place after registering the death.

Funeral directors

If you don’t want to arrange a funeral yourself, you can find local funeral directors below:

Funeral directors normally include all costs in their final bill, but you should double check this at your initial consultation.

Arranging a funeral yourself

You may prefer to organise the funeral and burial yourself (referred to as an 'independent funeral'), rather than employ a funeral director. Making your own arrangements may enable you to say goodbye to your loved one in a more personal way, but will involve more organising.

Contact us at 0207 525 5600 to arrange an appointment.

You can start to arrange a funeral before the death is registered.

Municipal funerals

Occasionally someone may die with no relatives or friends to take on the responsibility of funeral arrangements. In these cases, Southwark's Social Services department will look after the arrangements and later try to recover the costs from the estate of the person who died. This is called a 'municipal funeral'. 

Funeral expenses and related costs

Burials are generally a more expensive option than cremations, as they incur charges for grave purchase, headstones or memorials etc. Funerals can be both expensive and unexpected, but help is available for those who may have difficulty paying. Find more information on funeral expenses and charges. 

Cemeteries within Southwark

Southwark's three cemeteries are:

• Camberwell New Cemetery
• Camberwell Old Cemetery
• Nunhead Cemetery

Most of our cemeteries have areas that have been consecrated by the Church of England, as well as non-consecrated areas for people of other religions or beliefs. Burials can take place on any weekday except bank holidays; special arrangements can be made to have it on another day.

You're welcome to view the section of the cemetery where the burial will take place. Contact us and we'll arrange to meet you at the site. 

Purchasing a grave

When you buy a grave in one of our cemeteries, you buy the 'exclusive right of burial' for that particular grave for a period of 25, 50 or 75 years. Both Southwark residents and people living outside the borough can buy a grave within our cemeteries; however, the fee is greater for those who are not residents of the borough. Find more information on funeral expenses and charges. 

Arrangements for purchasing a grave are usually made by a funeral director and any costs involved may be included in their final bill. However, you may want to make the arrangements for this part of the funeral yourself, in which case we're happy to help.  

Burial options available

There are three different styles of burial available, which are offered by the following grave types:

• simplicity grave - this allows for a low level ledger to be placed on the grave
• lawn burial - this allows you to erect a headstone but the grave is levelled, grassed over and treated as lawn - no ornaments, fences etc can be placed or plants grown on the grave
• meadowland burial - this takes place in an open leafy area with the lawned areas only mowed twiced yearly

Page last updated: 16 February 2023