See the coffins for yourself, ask whatever you need to, and take the time you need to decide.
Most of us have never looked closely at a coffin until the week we’re asked to choose one. It comes at a tiring, muddled time, and the decision can feel bigger than it should. Our coffin selection service in Borough Green is there to make it simpler. You can come into our Western Road funeral home, see the range up close and talk it through with Sharon and the team before anything’s decided.
“I just wanted to drop you a quick email to properly thank you for all your help and support with the funeral arrangements for my Dad. I really appreciated the time and thought you put in to all the details of the arrangements and the funeral itself felt really fitting for Dad.”
– Chris N
Call our Borough Green team
If someone has died, call us directly on 01732 780600
Call us directly on 01732 780600. Our emergency response team is available 24/7. Click to call us now
If someone has died, fill in our simple form and we’ll call you back within an hour
If you have a non-urgent question about a funeral, send us a message and we will reply within 24 hours
The coffin tends to come up at the arrangement meeting, a day or so after the first phone call. Some families already know. “Mum always wanted willow,” or “Dad would have hated anything shiny.” Others arrive with no idea at all, and that’s just as normal.
Burial or cremation narrows things first, because some materials and fittings suit one better than the other. Faith and culture come next. Some traditions ask for a plain, unvarnished wooden coffin or a shroud, and some need the funeral within days, which means choosing from what we already hold rather than something made to order.
Then there’s the person. A white cardboard coffin covered in messages from the grandchildren can say more than polished oak ever could. We’ll help you find what fits them, not what fits a catalogue.
Once you’ve called us, we’ll find a time for you to visit 43 Western Road. That’s usually a weekday between 9am and 5pm, but weekend appointments can be arranged if work or travel makes that easier.
Our display covers the main types: wood and wood veneer, wicker and Somerset willow, bamboo, seagrass, pure wool and cardboard. Seeing them side by side helps. A photo can’t show you how light a willow coffin is, or how a veneer compares with solid oak. You may spot a familiar name, too. One coffin in our range is called the Ightham, after the village next door.
Next, we check your choice against the venue. For a cremation at Vinters Park in Maidstone or Medway Crematorium at Blue Bell Hill, metal handles can be swapped for cremation-friendly fittings, and we’ll explain what can and can’t go inside. For a natural burial at Eden Valley Woodland Burial Ground near Edenbridge, the coffin must be fully biodegradable, and wood has to be unvarnished.
Then take it home and think it over. Nothing’s ordered until you’ve seen a written estimate.
Material makes the biggest difference. Handmade solid timber sits at the top of the range, veneered and cardboard coffins towards the lower end, with woven coffins in between. Wicker isn’t automatically the cheapest option, which surprises a lot of people. Printed designs, engraving, cords or flags add to the cost, and so does anything made to order.
Whatever you choose, you’ll get a written estimate first, with no hidden fees added later. If it helps to look before you visit, our full coffin price list is online.
Welham Jones is independent and family-run, led by Simon and Rebecca Welham, so there’s no head-office sales target behind anything we suggest.
You’ll deal with the same small team at Western Road from the first call to the funeral itself.
We know what the local crematoria and burial grounds will and won’t accept, so you won’t set your heart on a coffin that can’t be used. And if someone dies at night or over a weekend, we still answer the phone.
Both Vinters Park and Medway Crematorium work to emissions rules, so things like glass, metal and many plastics usually have to come out before the day. Photos, letters, flowers and other keepsakes that burn cleanly can normally stay. We’ll check with the crematorium and hand back anything that can’t go through. Most burials have no such limits, although a natural burial ground will want everything to be biodegradable.
Yes. The coffin goes into the cremator with the person who has died. It isn’t reused, and it isn’t opened again once the service ends. That’s why the materials and fittings matter, and why we’ll talk you through cremation-friendly handles and linings when you visit us on Western Road.
It depends on the burial ground. At Eden Valley Woodland Burial Ground near Edenbridge, one of the burial grounds we list for our Borough Green families, everything that goes into the ground has to be biodegradable. Wicker, willow, bamboo, seagrass, cardboard and unvarnished wood are all accepted, and some families choose a shroud instead.
Yes, and we’d encourage it. Much of our range is on display at 43 Western Road, and you’re welcome to come in on a weekday or book a weekend appointment. Our solid wood coffins are handmade to order, so allow a little extra time for those, and we’ll show you the woods and finishes available.
If you’d like to come and look, or you simply don’t know where to start, call Sharon and the team on 01732 780600. There’s no obligation and no pressure. And if someone has died, we’re here day and night.
Choosing the coffin is one part of our work as a coffin supplier. Our Borough Green coffin supplier page covers delivery, eco-friendly ranges and buying a coffin on its own. For team details and directions, visit our main Borough Green funeral directors page.
Address:
43 Western Road, Borough Green, Sevenoaks, TN15 8AL
Telephone: 01732 780600
Email: boroughgreen@welhamjones.co.uk
Opening Hours
Monday: 9am to 5pm
Tuesday: 9am to 5pm
Wednesday: 9am to 5pm
Thursday: 9am to 5pm
Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday: By appointment only
Sunday: By appointment only
Weekend appointments for making arrangements and visiting are available by request.
For community deaths outside those hours, we also provide a 24/7 response, 365 days of the year.
