Crematorium opens to public to mark 60 years

A crematorium is marking its 60th anniversary by inviting the public to have a behind-the-scenes look.

Swindon Borough Council, which runs Kingsdown Crematorium in Swindon, is holding an open day on Saturday allowing visitors a rare opportunity to see areas usually closed to the public.

Family-run Hillier Funeral Service said the facility had been the "centre point" for grieving families since it first opened in 1966.

Funeral director Rebecca Hillier, whose great-grandfather started the funeral firm in 1923, said: "We have cared for generations of families in Swindon and that really is the greatest honour when a family comes back to you again for another loved one's funeral."

The crematorium was built in 1966 on the site of a former manor, Kingsdown House.

Before that, families choosing cremation for their loved ones had to travel to Oxford, Cheltenham, Gloucester or Bristol.

"We had a Rolls-Royce that had six passenger seats so a couple of family members could go in the hearse to Oxford," said Rebecca's grandfather Michael Hillier.

Hillier, 99, was one of the first funeral directors to use the new facility.

"When the crematorium opened it was massive for the families of Swindon because of the locality of it," he said.

"It meant that the cremation was a lot more accessible to a lot more families."

Swindon Borough Council Bereavement Services Officer Zoe Fennell said there had been "a shift" in how families engage with crematoria.

"They certainly do their research online themselves and are more open to ringing here directly and asking detailed questions about timings and attendance options," she said.

"People have opened up about talking about death and they want to celebrate life and make it more of a fun remembrance, rather than a sad occasion.

"Cremation is more popular than burial services now so we are much busier than we were many, many years ago when we first opened."

There will also be a memorial service later to allow visitors to remember loved ones who have died.

Rebecca Hillier said her family had supported "probably hundreds of thousands of families" over the years.

"There are so many loved ones laid to rest in their gardens of remembrance," she said.

"It's a nice, calming and relaxing atmosphere and it will continue to support many families in the future."

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