Chapel of rest

A chapel of rest is a quiet room at a funeral director’s premises, or at a hospital, where your loved one rests before the funeral and where family and close friends can visit. Care in the chapel of rest is usually part of the funeral director’s fee.

What happens there

Once your loved one has been collected from the place of death or released by the hospital, the funeral director cares for them at the chapel of rest until the day of the funeral or cremation. The room is quiet and usually softly lit, with a few chairs. Your loved one is often lying in the coffin, dressed in clothes the family chose or in a simple gown. The word chapel is traditional, and the room is not religious unless the family makes it so.

Visiting your loved one

Family and close friends can visit by arrangement, and that visit is called a viewing. It is a choice, and no one should feel they have let anyone down by staying away. You can sit quietly, talk to them, hold their hand, pray or play a piece of music. Many families bring flowers, a photograph or a small keepsake. If you would like something to go in the coffin before a cremation, ask the funeral director first, because the crematorium has rules about what can be included.

Before you go in

Ask the funeral director beforehand how your loved one looks, what they are wearing and how the room is arranged. Some people go in alone for a minute first and then bring others in. Children can be given a real choice too, as long as they are told simply what they will see.

At a hospital

Hospitals and hospices have viewing rooms, often at the mortuary. The bereavement office can sometimes arrange a visit before the funeral director takes over, by appointment and for a set time, and these visits are free. If the coroner is involved, the coroner’s permission is needed first.