K Y Green Funeral Directors

The company moved to 29 Cambridge Street in February 1939, to the premises built by "Harry" Green a few years before. The building's distinctive green front and signage has always been well known in the community.

Mr Ray Cochrane, the present owner, is the great grandson of Mr William York Green, who lived on Walton Street between 1844 and 1912. They had a builder's yard which older locals will remember as Gannon & Green Ltd, Builders and Undertakers.

Five generations before Mr Cochrane, Williams Green's grandfather, also called William Green, lived on Temple Street in Aylesbury between 1795 and 1870. His occupation was recorded in Pigot's County Guide of 1921 as a Builder, Architect, Upholsterer, Undertaker and Toymaker. His advertisement appeared on the front page of the first edition of the Bucks Herald in 1832.

In this photograph you will see Mr William Green outside the front door of the Walton Street premises, with the exterior decorated in honour of the King and Queen.

K Y Green Funeral Directors in Aylesbury are still based on Cambridge Street to this day, with an additional chapel of rest, workshops and garages in the pleasant countryside of Little Kimble.

In the late fifties, K Y Green Funeral Directors decided to replace their Rolls Royce Hearse with a beautiful, brand new Austin Princess Hearse.

The company's Rolls Royce hearse was already a luxurious, state-of-art vehicle, but it was decided that a new hearse was to be made. The Rolls Royce had bearer doors, a feature was also needed in the new hearse. So, a new four door Austin Princess Hearse was ordered to be built on a Princess chassis by J.R.Motors Ltd of Willoughby, Rugby.

The original drawing shows that the design was produced in 1955, describing the model as a 'Deluxe Hearse Body on either a Princess/Sheerline chassis, with two or four doors'. This was called a Charlesworth body. An order was placed and the hearse was built by Reall Ltd (Coachbuilders) at their workshop on Bath Road, Cippenham, Slough.

There was a considerable wait for the chassis to be delivered. When it arrived, it had a glass screen behind the front seats with bearer seats, and a full width deck in the rear. Looking immaculate with gleaming chrome and paintwork, '916 HPP' became a part of K Y Green on 1st July 1959 and is still going strong over 60 years later.

The last major overhaul was done during 1993 and 1994; the front wings were replaced, the front cross member was repaired, reconditioned shock-absorbers were fitted, and a rebuilt engine and gearbox were installed. The paint was stripped off and the whole hearse was resprayed from the metal. The trim was taken off, re-chromed and re-fixed.