The Crematorium was built in 1998 and occupies an eight-acre site overlooking the
Thames Estuary with views across to the Kent hills in the distance. We are in Bowers Gifford
which is an ancient settlement between Pitsea and Benfleet and is about four miles from Basildon.
The buildings are designed to offer an unpretentious yet attractive setting for the comfort of visitors.
The chapel is light and warm, furnished with natural woods and brick. It presents an atmosphere
of dignity and respect which is helpful and sympathetic.
An organ is available and we endeavour to play whatever music may be required or the organist
will accompany any hymns requested. We also have a CD system and can record services on request.
Families have often arranged solo singers or instrumentalists and we have even had jazz bands playing.
If we can help, we will. An excellent public address system with a loop facility for those with
hearing impairment ensures that the service can be heard clearly by all mourners.
Adequate time is allowed in the chapel for each funeral, thus providing each family with the privacy
so essential on these occasions.
Generous car parking space and good traffic flow enable visitors to enter and leave the premises without difficulty.
A warm waiting room close to the chapel has been provided together with toilets including
a large toilet for the disabled. No steps are used throughout the development which assists
anyone with walking difficulties or wheelchair users.
The Gardens of Remembrance incorporate a variety of ways to commemorate those we have lost,
including stone tablets, kerbs, wall plaques, roses and trees. A Book of Remembrance containing
hand-painted, illuminated inscriptions provides a permanent record of those cremated.
The gardens provide a beautiful natural setting where visitors may find consolation and peace.
The crematorium facilities are available to all faiths and religions; recent users have been Sikhs,
Hindus, Buddhists and Greek Orthodox as well as the conventional Christian services.
We will do our utmost to assist with any particular requirements during a service and afterwards.
The chapel may also be used for memorial services or services prior to burial.
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