When you are called upon to arrange a funeral, it can be a confusing and stressful time. Here at Alex Willis Funeral Home, we are a family run business with over 140 years of experience. As members of the National Association of Funeral Directors you are assured that the service we provide is of the highest standards. In these days of varying beliefs, whether the service is to be a religious or non-religious funeral service, whether it is to be a burial or cremation, we are here to help you make decisions and furthermore, advise you through all the legal paperwork to ultimately arranging a funeral service which is dignified and suited to your own personal wishes.
Alex Willis Funeral Home was founded in 1881 by John Thomas Willis in a cottage on the present site of the Bradford Arms in Queen Street, Morecambe. Six years later he was joined by his brother Joseph and moved to larger premises in Clarence Street where they carried out their business of joinery, boat building and undertaking. In 1895, the brothers moved once more to Poulton Square where they continued their business until 1969, it was at Poulton Square where Alex Willis joined his father in the family business. In 1932 J.T. Willis died and the firm passed to his son Alex, who was a prominent figure in the community, twice being President of the British Institute of Embalmers and President of the North West Area of the British Undertakers Association. Alex Willis was connected with the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade for most of his life and rose from cadet to Superintendant of the Morecambe and Heysham Corps, at the time of his death in 1963 he was the senior holder in England of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. In 1955 the business was then passed to Arthur Willis and Albert McVernon, Alex Willis’s son and son in law where they continued the family’s tradition until 1968 when Arthur retired. It was then that the business moved to its present site at Hunter Lodge on Middleton Road in Heysham under Albert McVernon where a purpose-built funeral home was built incorporating private chapels, a main chapel seating 40 people, a mortuary, offices, and garages for their fleet of Daimler limousines. In 1971, after service with the Royal Marines, Stewart McVernon joined his father in the family firm, Albert retired in 1981 leaving Stewart to continue over 100 years of family tradition who has now been joined by his two sons Jon and David. Alex Willis Funeral Home is still expanding and has recently had a full refurbishment to provide the personal service to the community that has been its hallmark for over 140 years.
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| Taking care of all necessary legal and administrative arrangements | £800.00 |
| 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 | £150.00 |
| Care of the deceased person before the funeral in appropriate facilities. | £400.00 |
| Providing a suitable coffin | £375.00 |
| Viewing of the deceased person for family and friends, by appointment with the funeral director (where viewing is requested by the customer) | £0.00 |
| 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 | £400.00 |
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| Burial (funeral director’s charges only) | £1,100.00 |
| Cremation (funeral director’s charges plus the cremation fee)2 | £1,599.00 |
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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. |
£882.00 |
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For an Attended cremation funeral, the cremation fee.2 In this local area, the typical cost of a cremation for local residents is: |
£1,025.00 |
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| Additional mileage (price per mile) | £1.00 |
| Additional transfers of the deceased person’s body (e.g. to their home, to a place of worship etc.) (price per transfer) | £150.00 |
| Collection and delivery of ashes | £0.00 |
| Embalming | £125.00 |
| Funeral officiant (e.g. celebrant, minister of religion etc.) | £206.00 |
| 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.
Prices correct as from 08/08/2025and may be subject to change. E & O.E.
2 Middleton Road, Heysham, Lancashire, LA3 2QD
