Arthur C. Towners Celebrates 150 years of Heritage, Resilience and Innovation
It’s hard to believe that this year Arthur C. Towner marks its 150th year of service. When the business was founded, we were located on the corner of Norman Road. However, in May 1943, during a ‘tip and run raid’, a wave of WW2 bombs hit and levelled the building. From the rubble, Arthur C. Towner emerged unscathed, carrying both the family legacy and a determination to rebuild the business.
To this day, Arthur C. Towner can still be found on Norman Road, operating out of what used to be a stable. With renovations to update and expand the business underway, we hope to continue to serve the public with the same principles Frederick Edward Towner (Old Wiggy) established when he founded the business in 1875.
For me, taking on the role of owner and managing director in 2021 has been a privilege and a learning curve, and I see our anniversary as an opportunity to take the business in a fresh direction. This includes a more sustainable future, such as low-cost, low-carbon cremation and taking steps to challenge funeral sector norms. I’m pleased to say we are making strong progress.
This month we were awarded the Funeral Service Award for Sustainability for the second year in a row, which is fantastic news. This achievement recognises the efforts we have made to move the funeral business sector forward and is a huge win for the Towner team. As always, I would like to thank them for their dedication, hard work and commitment to our customers.
It’s acknowledgements like this that see me recollecting on the decisions my father, his father and every generation of the Towners have made to bring our success so far. This is evident in the century and a half of archival records we have stored at the St Leonards funeral home. Names, occupations and funeral costs dating back over the history of the business remind me of the impact Towners has had on the communities we serve.
As my father said recently in a documentary to celebrate our 150 years,
“It’s a delicate business, and we’re given a huge amount of trust. We are responsible for the final stages of someone’s life. The life of a friend, a father or mother, a son or a daughter. Every life matters.”
After six generations and with so much history sitting on my shoulders, I often have mixed feelings of immense honour and dread. That said, what I feel more than anything is an enormous sense of gratitude towards the people who have shaped the business and supported so many lives. For Towners, every life will continue to matter.
For more information on how Towners will be celebrating their 150th year, keep an eye on our website and social media.
Thanks for reading,
Oliver Towner
