John Bardgett & Sons Funeral Directors

When he was around 19 years old, his father died, and John moved to London to work as a builder. John was not a fan of living in the city, so he moved home and married Jane Robinson, a farmer's daughter from his village.

In 1897 John and Jane moved to Newcastle upon Tyne. John began working for McGee & Beckett, local builders and undertakers. He managed their Stanhope Street branch and was a general joiner and coffin maker.

Together they had six children. Arthur, Dorothea, Francis, Harry and John Ernest were born in Newcastle.

17 Years later, in 1914, John left McGee and Beckett to start his own business at 351 Westgate Road, on the corner of Elswick Row. A year later, his son Francis died from meningitis, aged 11.

The following year John's youngest son, Stanley, was born.

John Bardgett's business was successful. Eventually, his sons John Ernest, Arthur and Stanley joined the family business. From the beginning, John made the coffins, and he also supplied these to other undertakers.

In Newcastle, John Bardgett was the first undertaker to own a motor hearse. He also used it for removals into the country for other undertakers. Once he bought newer vehicles, the first motor hearse was altered and given to the West End Poor Association and became an ambulance.

By 1934 the business had amassed a fleet of Rolls Royce and Austin Princess vehicles. They needed to keep the fleet somewhere safe and suitable. John Bardgett and his sons purchased the Lynnwood Terrace garage to store the fleet.

John Bardgett & Sons Ltd. was formed in 1935.

The business continued to grow, supplying coffins and coffin sets to a wide area. That included Berwick, Carlisle and North Yorkshire.

When possible, the company would invest in the most modern vehicles and equipment that it could afford.

In 1949 John Bardgett became the Deputy Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was also the President of the Northumberland & Durham Amateur Swimming Association and the Summerhill Bowling Club.

In the same year, Stanley qualified as an embalmer after training in London. John Bardgett & Sons were pioneers of embalming in Newcastle.

John Bardgett died in 1950, aged 74.

Five years later, his son John Ernest Bardgett died aged 48. The family business was then run by Arthur and Stanley.

Stanley took over the management of the coffin manufacturing and pioneered the use of veneered chipboard. As a result of the increase in the popularity of cremations, timber becoming more scarce and expensive.

The original funeral home, 351 Westgate Road, was compulsorily purchased in 1965. The company moved to its present address at Oakwood House, 571 Westgate Road. This building needed alterations to provide office space and chapels of rest.

A further compulsory purchase happened in 1970. The coffin manufacturing workshop in Douglas Terrace was bought as part of the redevelopment of the area. The workshop moved to an extension of the garage at Lynnwood Terrace.

In 1971, John Bardgett, the grandson of the founder, joined the family business. John qualified for a Diploma in Funeral Directing, issued by the National Association of Funeral Directors.

Nine years later, Andrew Bardgett, also a grandson of the founder, joined the family business. Andrew also held a Diploma in Funeral Directing.

In 1984 the facilities at Oakwood House were extensively refurbished. At the same time the chapels of rest and mortuary facilities were extended and upgraded.

Arthur Bardgett died in 1985, aged 76.

Associated Funeral Directors bought the family business in 1996. Members of the Bardgett family continued to manage the business and arrange and conduct funerals.

In the years following the sale of the business, John Bardgett & Sons Funeral Directors opened more branches. To serve a changing population, funeral homes opened in Ponteland, Gosforth, Westerhope and Heworth.

Stanley Bardgett, the youngest son of John Bardgett, died in 2006, aged 90.

The firm continues to update and renovate its facilities. As well as maintaining a modern fleet of Mercedes vehicles.

John Bardgett & Sons Funeral Directors continues to invest in regular staff training. Today they employ many committed and compassionate individuals. The team serves the bereaved of Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding areas in a professional manner.