Eltham Crematorium

The crematorium opened in 1956. Since opening it's been run by the Eltham Crematorium Joint Committee, made up of Royal Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Bexley and Dartford Borough Council.

The Eltham Crematorium Joint Committee are continuing to improve the Garden of Remembrance for the bereaved and visitors over the next two years. The majority of these works will take place outside of opening hours and at weekends to minimise disturbance. 

Ponds

A major refurbishment of the pond will start in summer 2025 to increase the depth, improve the water flow, prevent future leaks and create more biodiversity.

Specialist contractors have been hired to do these works who will make sure that all the plants and pond inhabitants are protected.

Memorial beds and new pathways

We’re aware that some of the memorial beds in the Garden of Remembrance suffer from water-pooling after heavy rain. We understand this can be upsetting for visitors and we’ve tried for many years to improve the drainage.

This year, Eltham Crematorium Joint Committee agreed to invest in more drainage throughout the grounds.

We’re currently installing additional drainage and updating the paths to allow water to drain before entering the beds.

Regretfully, we need to restrict access to some of the memorial beds for a short period of time during these works. This is so the engineers can safely install the new drainage system into the paved area.

From Saturday 10 January to Friday 27 February 2026, the Formal Rose Bed Area located to the rear of the West Chapel will be closed.

If you wish to lay floral tributes during this time, you can:

• use the Flower Pavilion located to the rear of the Chapel of Remembrance, or
• place them on the metal stand located at the end of the West Chapel Cloisters

We want to assure you that we’ll protect the beds, that no ashes will be disturbed and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

For more information, call us on 0208 921 6700. If you need help when you arrive at the crematorium, please visit us in the main office.

Floral tributes

The Garden of Remembrance is cleared of all floral tributes every Thursday morning, before the grounds are open to the public. There are four exceptions where floral tributes are not picked up - in the week before and week of Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Remembrance Sunday. The last day to view any tributes left is Wednesday, however, tributes left in the Flower Pavilion will be disposed of once they have wilted.

Accessing our services

Our chapels, waiting rooms and toilets can be accessed without the need to use steps.

The majority of the grounds can be accessed by wheelchair, although in some areas assistance may be required.

We can provide wheelchairs for use in both chapels.

Visitors with a RADAR key may use the accessible toilet located behind the office building, if you do not have a RADAR key, please contact the office for assistance.

Both chapels have induction loop systems and the office has a portable induction loop system.

Read the accessibility guide on AccessAble

Crematorium administration office is open:

• Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
• Friday, 8:30am to 4pm

Filming a service at the crematorium or within the grounds

If you want to film a funeral service and/or procession, you need to seek permission from the Royal Greenwich Film Unit. This is because the crematorium is on Royal Greenwich land. If you have any questions about filming, or the type of permission you may need, contact filmofficer@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

Only assistance dogs are allowed in our chapels and grounds.

Parking

The car park is located in the grounds and has 80 spaces, plus two spaces for people with disabled parking permits.

Tours of the crematorium

We occasionally hold group tours of the facilities at the crematorium.

If you would like to view the crematory please visit us during working hours, when the staff will be happy to answer any questions and give a guided tour.

If you wish to see both chapels before you book a funeral service, please contact us and we'll arrange an appointment for you.

The Pavilion Flower Shop

You may purchase and order flowers and light refreshments from The Pavilion Flower Shop based in the grounds of the crematorium.

The Book of Remembrance Chapel and The Flower Pavilion

These buildings are open daily, and will close 15 minutes before the cemetery & crematorium grounds:

• 1 October to 31 March, 9am to 3:45pm
• 1 April to 30 September, 9am to 6:45pm
• All other Bank Holidays, 9am to 3:45pm