Bereavement Services

The West Road Crematorium and the ten cemeteries run by the council across the city are open during the following times:

April to October

• Monday to Friday, from 9am to 6.45pm
• Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays, from 10am to 4.45pm

November to March

• Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3.45pm
• Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays, from 10am to 3.45pm

The Bereavement Services office, which is based at the Civic Centre in Newcastle, is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm. The office is closed on bank holidays.
Address: Bereavement Services, Newcastle City Council, Civic Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH
Phone: 0191 211 6941
Email: bereavementservices@newcastle.gov.uk

Coronavirus (COVID-19 ) 

Please note that Newcastle City Council Bereavement Services are committed to protecting the health and safety of mourners, funeral directors and members of staff and to making all funerals as Covid-secure as possible.

To do this, we ask that those who are using the West Road Crematorium behave in a safe and responsible manner and comply with the following guidelines:

Please wear a face covering or a face mask.

Funeral times are staggered to help manage the number of people arriving and leaving the crematorium at once and to allow for enhanced cleaning measures. Additional cleaning of crematorium chapels between each service will be maintained.

Live streaming of services is an option for those arranging a funeral – please speak with your funeral director to request this.

The Covid-19 information on the council's website can be found here.

Chapel capacity

The capacity in the chapels at the West Road Crematorium is:
West Chapel - 110 seats / no capacity for standing
East Chapel -  108 seats / limited standing is permitted at the back of the chapel only.

In order to maintain the health and safety of attendees and the staff working at the funeral, please be advised that the staff at the crematorium chapels will ask ask for the co-operation of the funeral director and attendees to exit the chapel where the number of attendees exceeds the maximum capacity.  At the request of the funeral director, the speakers can be switched on outside of the chapels. We appreciate your co-operation with this matter.

Singing is permitted in the chapels.

Waiting room

The waiting room is open.

Toilets

The toilets are open to use when the cemetery is open. The facilities are located by the accessible ramp to the right of the waiting room entrance. They can be accessed via the waiting room.

Hall of Remembrance

The Hall of Remembrance is open to visitors. Please wear a face covering and follow the social distancing and safety measures in place.

The Book of Remembrance is also available to view online if you are unable to attend or would prefer to view your entry remotely. Please click on the link to access the  online Book of Remembrance.

Visitors are welcome to make an appointment to visit the crematorium to view individual entries. Please note that the books are sent away to be inscribed so we may not be able to accommodate your request until the books arrive back at the crematorium.

We appreciate your cooperation to ensure that you vacate the cemeteries on or before the closing times to allow the cemeteries staff to complete their duties.