A. France & Son traces its history back to 1764, when William France Snr — previously an upholsterer for royal cabinet makers — established the business and went on to act as Royal Undertaker for the funerals of the Duke of Cumberland (1765) and Edward, Duke of York (1767). His nephew William France Jnr took over at just 18, partnering with Samuel Beckwith as France & Beckwith until 1804, and in 1806 was commissioned to build the coffin for Admiral Lord Nelson's funeral, reportedly fitted with over 10,000 gilt brass nails. With later partner Thomas Banting, the firm went on to conduct the funerals of King George III, King George IV and Queen Charlotte.
Today the company remains proudly independent and family-owned, now run from three London offices — Lamb's Conduit Street, Hendon, and this branch at 166 Caledonian Road, Islington (the area sometimes referred to as Kings Cross). Four generations of the France family are recorded as having lived at the firm's historic headquarters since 1898. The Caledonian Road office is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and offers traditional funerals, direct cremation, humanist and multi-faith religious ceremonies, bespoke and personalised send-offs, burials, memorial services and embalming, with families able to choose between personal clothing and traditional shrouds.
The firm holds memberships with the NAFD, the British Institute of Embalmers, SAIF and the Funeral Arbitration Scheme, and describes its approach as combining clear, supportive guidance with a warm, professional service that is "personal yet affordable."
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