THE CREMATION SOCIETY

What THE CREMATION SOCIETY does

The Cremation Society of Great Britain, founded in 1874 by Sir Henry Thompson, is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee (no share capital) headquartered at Brecon House in Maidstone, Kent. It was the pioneer of cremation in Britain, having built and operated the first crematorium at Woking, Surrey in 1885, and it remains the parent company of London Cremation Company plc, which today owns and operates six crematoria (Golders Green, Woking St John's, St Marylebone, Banbury, and Garden of England Crematorium). Its mission is to promote cremation as an alternative to burial, aid private enterprises and local authorities in establishing new crematoria, and provide impartial information to the public and the funeral sector.

The Society's core products are informational rather than technological. It publishes Pharos International, the quarterly journal it has issued since 1934 (also the official journal of the International Cremation Federation, circulated in 41 countries); an annual Directory of Crematoria and Directory of Pet Crematoria; a free Monthly News Review; and annual cremation statistics. It also jointly hosts the annual CBCE (Cremation and Burial Communication and Education) conference with the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities, and acts as Secretariat for the International Cremation Federation. Its historical archives are deposited at Durham University's Palace Green Library. A July 2026 research report, 'Public Perceptions of Cremation,' extended its publishing franchise into primary consumer research.

Revenue is generated across multiple small streams: publication sales (subscriptions and annual directory sales), directory licensing royalties (including a ProQuest/KnowUK licensing agreement), membership fees, investment income from a portfolio managed by Newton Investment Management Ltd (including dividends from Kent County Crematorium Plc and rental income from Brecon House), and — through the London Cremation Company plc subsidiary — transaction fees from cremation services. The Society operates with approximately five employees and operates as a not-for-profit charity; cremation now accounts for approximately 80% of all funerals in the British Islands.

Name

THE CREMATION SOCIETY

Legal name

The Cremation Society of Great Britain

Website

https://cremation.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1874

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cremation Society of Great Britain is a registered charity founded in 1874 that promotes cremation, publishes the Pharos International quarterly journal and Directory of Crematoria, hosts the annual CBCE conference, and acts as parent company of London Cremation Company plc, which operates six UK crematoria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Maidstone

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Publication Sales: Sale of publications including Pharos International (quarterly journal), Directory of Crematoria, and other cremation-related materials. Pharos International is the official quarterly journal of the Cremation Society and the International Cremation Federation, circulating in 41 countries.
2. Directory Licensing: Licensing agreements allowing other organizations to include Directory of Crematoria content on their platforms, including KnowUK website agreements with ProQuest/Chadwyck-Healey Limited.
3. Investment Income: Income from investment portfolio managed by Newton Investment Management Ltd, including dividends from investments in Kent County Crematorium Plc and rental income from Brecon House property.
4. Membership Fees: Revenue from Society members who receive various concessions relating to the Society's activities and publications.
5. Cremation Operations (Subsidiary): The Society's subsidiary London Cremation Company plc operates six crematoria (Golders Green, Woking St John's, St Marylebone, Banbury, and Garden of England Crematorium), generating revenue from cremation services. The Company carried out 5,522 cremations during the year ended March 2005.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cremation Society is a registered charity that promotes cremation as an alternative to burial through publications, statistics, and industry guidance. It sells publications including Pharos International (quarterly journal), the Directory of Crematoria, and the Directory of Pet Crematoria, hosts the annual CBCE conference, and provides impartial information to the public and funeral sector. Through its subsidiary London Cremation Company plc, the Society also owns and operates six crematoria across the UK.

Product overview

The Cremation Society is a charitable organization (registered charity, not conducted for profit) established in 1874 to promote cremation as an alternative to burial. The Society offers a portfolio of informational products and services including: Pharos International (quarterly journal published since 1934), the Directory of Crematoria (annual publication), Directory of Pet Crematoria, Monthly News Review, and jointly hosts the annual CBCE conference. The Society also provides cremation statistics, educational resources, and guidance on cremation-related matters. The Society's subsidiary, London Cremation Company plc, owns and operates crematoria including Golders Green, Woking St John's, St Marylebone, Banbury, and Garden of England Crematorium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pharos International Official quarterly journal of the Cremation Society and the International Cremation Federation, first published in 1934, covering cremation statistics, best practices, and industry developments. Circulated in 41 countries worldwide. Targeted at funeral sector professionals, cremation authorities, and academics.
• Directory of Crematoria Annual directory providing essential information on all UK crematoria to the bereavement sector, with statistical information updated annually. Considered the definitive publication of its kind, sold to cremation authorities, funeral directors, and bereavement sector organizations.
• Directory of Pet Crematoria Annual directory listing pet crematoria facilities in the UK. Targeted at pet owners and bereaved families seeking pet cremation services.
• Monthly News Review Free monthly news review providing updates on the latest news and developments in the funeral sector. Distributed as a free email newsletter to subscribers and serves as a top-of-funnel engagement tool for the Society.
• CBCE (Cremation and Burial Communication and Education) Annual Conference Annual Cremation and Burial Communication and Education conference jointly hosted with the Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities. Attracts high-quality speakers, exhibitors, and delegates from various areas within the bereavement sector for professional development and networking.
• Annual Cremation Statistics Annual cremation statistics published in Pharos International and on the Society's website, covering UK national statistics and international statistics from 1885 to present. The Society has tracked the progress of cremation since the first cremation at Woking in 1885, documenting that cremation now accounts for approximately 80% of all funerals in the British Islands.
• London Cremation Company plc — Cremation Services Cremation services operated through the Society's wholly-owned subsidiary London Cremation Company plc, which owns and operates six crematoria: Golders Green, Woking St John's, St Marylebone, Banbury, and Garden of England Crematorium in North East Kent (Sittingbourne). The Company carried out 5,522 cremations during the year ended March 2005.
• Public Perceptions of Cremation Research Report Research report published by The Cremation Society in July 2026 investigating public perceptions of cremation. Available via the Issuu platform and accompanied by a press release. Aimed at the funeral sector, media, and policy stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cremation now accounts for approximately 80% of all funerals in the British Islands

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Durham UniversitymajorOthers · 2 November 2001The Society's archives were deposited at Durham University's Palace Green Library's Special Collections Section in 1998, officially handed over at a ceremony on 2nd November 2001. Archives are accessible to academics and the public.
• International Cremation Federation (ICF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society's Secretary serves as Secretary-General of the ICF (for 13 years until 2003). The office of the Society acts as the Secretariat for the Federation, co-ordinating the work of its various sub-committees. Pharos International is the official journal of the ICF.
• Federation of Burial and Cremation AuthoritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly host the annual Cremation and Burial Communication Event (CBCE) with this organization, attracting high-quality speakers, exhibitors and delegates from various areas within the bereavement sector.
• Golders Green FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society has a close relationship with Golders Green Foundation, a registered charity. The Society has the power to appoint the Trustees of the Golders Green Foundation. The Right Honourable The Earl Grey is a Trustee of the Golders Green Foundation.
• London Cremation Company plccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society is the parent company of London Cremation Company plc, which owns and operates six crematoria (Golders Green, Woking St John's, St Marylebone, Banbury, and Garden of England Crematorium).
• ProQuest (KnowUK)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLicensing agreement allowing ProQuest to include Directory of Crematoria content on their KnowUK website, accessible through public libraries.
• Cremation Abatement of Mercury Emissions Organisation (CAMEO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurden sharing scheme for mercury emissions recognised by DEFRA. The Society and Federation of British Cremation Authorities support this scheme.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF): Direct peer — UK trade association for independent funeral directors; comparable membership/advocacy model, and a Council member of the Cremation Society serves as consultant to SAIF.
• Memoria Ltd: Direct peer — UK private crematoria and burial operator; comparable to London Cremation Company plc in network-based cremation delivery and competes for new-site development.
• Westerleigh Group: Direct peer — UK's largest private crematoria operator; competes with London Cremation Company plc in the private crematorium segment and is the most direct commercial benchmark for subsidiary valuation.
• National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD): Direct peer — UK trade association for funeral directors; comparable to the Cremation Society as a sector membership body and parallel information source for the public and trade.
• Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities: Direct peer — UK trade body for burial and cremation authorities; jointly hosts the annual CBCE conference with the Cremation Society and represents the same operator-side constituency. Most directly comparable given mission overlap and shared events.
• International Cremation Federation: Direct peer — global cremation trade body for which the Cremation Society provides secretariat; comparable in mission (promoting cremation worldwide, publishing statistics) but international in scope.

Broad incumbents

• Dignity plc: Broad incumbent — UK's largest listed funeral services provider, including cremation-related services; overlapping death-care remit but with much broader scale and a for-profit listed model that contrasts with the Society's charity status.
• Co-operative Funeralcare: Broad incumbent — large UK funeral services operator (>30,000 funerals p.a. historically); the Society's council includes a former Co-operative Funeral Services manager, signalling shared sector exposure.

Regional players

• Cremation Association of North America (CANA): Regional peer — North American cremation trade association; comparable to the Society as a sector body publishing statistics and serving an international membership, though focused on the US/Canada market.
• Golders Green Foundation: Regional peer — charitable affiliate of Golders Green Crematorium; the Cremation Society has power to appoint its trustees and operates the crematorium via London Cremation Company plc, making it a closely linked but distinct entity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cremsoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cremation-society-of-great-britain

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about THE CREMATION SOCIETY