Viewing

A viewing is time spent with your loved one before the funeral or cremation, usually at a funeral director’s chapel of rest, sometimes at the hospital. Families use it to say goodbye in private or to keep religious or cultural customs. We offer a viewing at our chapel of rest for £150 alongside a direct cremation.

Where it takes place

Most viewings are at the funeral director’s chapel of rest, where there is more time and fewer restrictions. A hospital ward, bereavement office or hospice can sometimes arrange one too, during office hours or in a set weekend slot. Viewings on a ward or in a hospital chapel are free. If the coroner is involved, a viewing needs the coroner’s permission first, and it can happen before or after a post-mortem.

Whether to go

It is your choice, and there is no right answer. Many people find that seeing their loved one helps them take in that the death has happened. Others would rather keep their last memory of the person alive, and that is just as valid. If you decide to go, it helps to know that your loved one’s skin will look paler than you remember, and that their hand will feel cool to the touch.

Preparation and custom

If the viewing is over several days, the funeral director may suggest embalming to keep your loved one’s appearance, which is an extra fee. Customs differ between faiths. In many Caribbean, Sikh and Chinese families an open coffin and a gathering are usual, while Orthodox Jewish tradition does not have an open coffin. In Islamic tradition, family members of the same sex wash and shroud the person, and burial follows quickly.

With a direct cremation

A direct cremation has no service and no attendance at the crematorium. The viewing is how the family see their loved one first: an hour with the coffin at the chapel of rest, for the immediate family, by appointment, before the cremation. It is a private visit, with no celebrant and no formal order.