R C Payne & Son Funeral Directors

Established by Robert Chapman Payne in 1887, R C Payne & Son has been serving the families of Southampton ever since.

Not solely a funeral directors in the early days, those working for the family business were just as likely to be found donning overalls and wallpapering the first floor landing of a local townhouse, as they were suited and booted and bearing a coffin to its final resting place.

Back in those days, traditions were also a little different, and in Bitterne, where R C Payne & Son started out, coffins were carried through the village to the church, with the cortege stopping off at each pub en route, partaking of the refreshments the hostelry had to offer before moving on again.

Robert Chapman Payne ran the undertaker's business from his house on Commercial Street. The building was later demolished to make room for a car park at the Percy Arms public house, itself now little more than a memory.

In the 1930s, R C Payne & Son moved to 485 Bitterne Road East, where the funeral home has remained to this day. By the time of this relocation, both the founder's son and grandson were part of the business. Keeping it in the family, Robert Payne's brother also joined the funeral directors, with his own son, George, coming on board in 1946 after wartime service with the Royal Marines.

George would remain with R C Payne & Son, retiring twice, the second and final time in 2015 at the age of 90.

From its jack of all trades beginnings at the family home in Bitterne, to taking care of the families of Southampton, R C Payne & Son has grown in the 130+ years it has existed. In that time, it has both expanded and, in the latter years, changed hands.

The late 1980s saw the firm sold to the Steels family, then, in 1997, two new funeral homes were opened: one in Bitterne Park and the other in Shirley. Since then the business has passed to a number of different companies, including Alderwoods and Fairways, until August 2007, when it finally found its home with Dignity.

Today, R C Payne & Son continues to thrive, providing the very best in funeral care and ensuring those who have lost a loved one can say goodbye in a dignified and meaningful way.

You can find out more about R C Payne & Son's Southampton funeral homes by selecting an image below.