OUR HISTORY

Albins evolved as Funeral Directors after being first, (well over 200 years ago) wardens of a Bermondsey cemetery. They also made coffins, moved the dead and supervised the burials. (Cremation was not an option in those days).

With the opening of hospitals such as Guy’s and St. Thomas’, came the opportunity for the Albin family who had already cared for the dead for many years, to open their first official Funeral Parlour in Snowsfields, Bermondsey alongside the new St. Thomas’ Hospital.

It was not long before the premises in Snowsfields were outgrown. A stable for the horses and coaches was found in Fendal Street, Bermondsey and new shop premises at 62 Jamaica Road, Bermondsey (where Barry grew up).

In the very early days, of course, bodies were moved by hand carts and later through Victorian times, we saw the beauty of a horse-drawn carriage with anything up to six horses.
 
Albins had over 20 working horses in those days with another 10 being trained. Our stables were in Snowsfields and Fendal Street, Bermondsey.

Our last original Horse-drawn funeral took place in the 1940’s and by the early 1950’s, we were using motorised hearses. Our first vehicles were bull-nosed Daimlers and Rolls Royce Hearses and limousines and later Princesses. Our original Rolls Hearse is still with us and in good working order.

Today we have a fleet of cars, of the highest standard, still in our original livery of black and burgundy and who would have thought, that all these years on, horse-drawn funerals would again be seen on the streets of London. How our early predecessors would be amazed and proud.

Today we have four horses, Fred, George, Ronnie and Reggie and four more in training, Arthur, Stanley, Alfred and Frederick. They can be seen proudly leading Albins funerals all over London.

From our first little shop in Snowsfields, Albins now have a lovely funeral home on 2½ acres of land incorporating the beautiful Albin-Dyer Memorial Garden.

The garage houses the most up-to-date Daimler vehicles, the old 1932 Rolls Hearse and the famous horse-drawn carriages.

Albins offer every conceivable service from burials and cremations to cryonics.

Albins are proud to be successors to, or connected to, C E Hitchcock, Wildsmiths, Knox’s, Wilson and Wedge, KCH Repatriation and have branches in Bermondsey, Deptford, Mottingham, Sidcup, East London and West London – A truly family business run by our family for your family.

Well over 10 years ago Barry had a dream (“and if you can dream it – you can achieve it”) that the people of Bermondsey would one day have their own cremation cemetery and Memorial Garden – one that they could be proud of. That dream came true with the opening of The Albin-Dyer Memorial Garden. The Garden was opened in 1999 by the late Fred Albin, Barry’s father George, past staff and MP Simon Hughes.

It is dedicated to Mary Angela (Barry’s Mother), George Alfred (Barry’s Father), Elizabeth (Barry’s Grandmother), Frederick and all the Dyer and Albin families.

One of the saddest duties undertaken by Albins and Dignity through Kenyon Repatriation, but one of the most honourable, is the repatriation and care for the deceased soldiers lost in action worldwide.

The ceremonial services performed upon the return of the soldiers and the bereavement care of their families is the most difficult of work but also the greatest privilege and duty.

Working with Kenyon Repatriation, of which Barry is Chairman, Albins has access to a nationwide network of Funeral Homes.