The Company was established in 1875 by Frederick Edward Towner, the local cabinet maker in the fledgling community
of St Leonards-on-Sea, Britain’s first New Town. We don’t know but have always liked to think that he branched into
undertaking because he was the only one locally who, through his cabinet-making skills, could construct a coffin.
F. E. Towner died in 1900 and the business was continued by his son, Arthur Charles Towner. The firm was made a
Limited Company in the 1930's which is why it bears Arthur’s name and not his father’s. Arthur died in 1935. The
business continued through his son, Arthur C. Towner II.
Arthur C. Towner II handed over managerial control to his youngest son Raymond in the late 1960's (his eldest son
Arthur C. Towner III died in 1965). Ray Towner retired in 1987 when his son Edward became Managing Director. Edward
runs the company with his fellow director, Colin Miller. Edward and Colin went to school together at Hastings Grammar
School.
The company was originally located at 25 Norman Road, St Leonards-on-Sea. During the Second World War the
premises were destroyed when a bomb landed in Norman Road. We re-located to 2 - 4 Norman Road which is where
you will find us today. In the 1940s, 50s and 60s we had many strings to our bow: a furniture shop, upholsterers, furniture
removals and storage, builders, decorators and plumbers as well as funeral directors and monumental masons. In the
last quarter of the 20th Century some of the departments struggled as competition increased (for instance, the furniture
shop couldn’t compete with the likes of MFI and Ikea) so we decided to concentrate on what we are good at - funerals
and stonemasonry.
The funeral industry has been ravaged by aggressive takeovers of small, family run businesses by big national and
international funeral conglomerates like Service Corporation International and the Co-op. When the Co-op bought out
the family firm of Jempsons in Battle we saw an opportunity: by opening a branch there we could ensure the people of
Battle continued to have the option of a local, family owned undertaker. Our Battle office and chapel of rest - in Market
Square - was opened in 1995. When the same thing happened in Bexhill - the Co-op bought out the family firm of
Mummery - we saw a similar opportunity and so our Bexhill office and chapel of rest - in Station Road - was opened in
1999. Since then both branches have attracted more and more business which endorses our belief that, when dealing
with an undertaker, most people want to be able to telephone John Smith Ltd and speak to Mr Smith himself, rather than
be diverted to a call centre. Having outgrown the Station Road premises, in 2013 we moved to our new funeral home,
Audley House, in Albert Road, Bexhill. With the acquisition by LM Funerals Ltd of family firms D. C. Mercer & Son and
Banfield & Pomphrey in June 2010 we are now the only remaining local, independent, family owned funeral directors in
the whole of Hastings, St Leonards, Bexhill and Battle.
In 2016 we moved from 19 Market Square, Battle to 43 High Street, Battle, having spent a year repairing and
refurbishing the property which is a lovely Grade II listed Georgian building.
Arthur C Towner Ltd: Our company history
In 1990 we joined forces with a local software company, Roger Ash and Associates, to develop the first funeral
management software in the UK. We formed a new company called Ash Towner Ltd to create Osiris Funeral
Management Software (Osiris FMS). Funeral Directors across the UK now rely on Osiris Systems software to keep
their administration under control. We have since released our stake in Ash Towner Ltd but we continue to work with
them in a consultancy capacity to improve and develop Osiris.
For over 140 years we have been proud to provide a caring, professional service to bereaved people in our local area.
We like to think that, in the 21st Century, our standards are higher than they have ever been but we are also constantly
looking for ways to improve and widen the choice available to our clients. From traditional, horse-drawn funerals to
environmentally-friendly ‘green’ funerals, we work with each family to provide just the right type of service so that, when
they look back on the day of their loved one’s funeral, it is with a sense of comfort and pride.
Staff of Arthur C. Towner Ltd, circa 1910
Advertisement from 1885 edition of Pike's
Directory of Hastings & St Leonards.
F. E. Towner - Founder
:: click images to enlarge ::
© Arthur C Towner Ltd - Head Office: 2-4 Norman Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 6NH
Battle & Ninfield
43 High Street
Battle
East Sussex
TN33 0EE
Tel: 01424 775 515
Hastings & St. Leonards
2-4 Norman Road
St Leonards-on-Sea
East Sussex
TN37 6NH
Tel: 01424 436 386
Arthur C. Towner and staff circa 1900