Looking after family and friends on the saddest of days

ByDave Hall

Looking after family and friends on the saddest of days

The comfort of seating at a crematorium is not the first thing that concerns families and friends gathering to remember a loved one but it’s an important issue to those who host the funeral.

‘Officials in charge of crematoria and funeral home spaces are keen to provide a context in sympathy with the deep emotions surrounding cremation, life and death,’ said ICS Furniture’s Martha Clancy. ‘As a company we are renowned for the design of our furniture which can be customised to reflect the design and feel of the architecture around it. Our focus is always the end user and we strive to ensure our seating provides exactly what is needed, in the right place at the right time.’

Thornhill Cemetery in Cardiff opened in 1952. During the crematorium’s first year there were just over 1000 cremations. There are now almost three times that number. A complete renovation was recently required with chairs replaced by benches. ICS Furniture were tasked with producing a bespoke, fully-upholstered bench with a curved gable in oak. A very simple line engraving was also included to draw the eye along the aisle. 

‘We pride ourselves on producing beautifully crafted and extremely comfortable benches,’ said Martha. ‘This is possible as the amount of foam used as the bench does not need to be stacked.’

Benches can be designed in both curved and straight formations and have the option of both an upholstered or solid back rest. Bookshelves provide storage for prayer books or information leaflets.

• ISC Furniture are exhibiting at CRE National 2021 (12-14 Oct 2021). For more information click here

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Our next exhibitions

CRE South West 2021 – 17-18 March 2021
Westpoint, Exeter

CRE National 2021 – 12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey

About the author

Dave Hall author