Horse-drawn hearses return

Horse-drawn hearses are making a return as more and more families opt to send off their loved ones in scenes reminiscent of Victorian times.

Instead of once or twice a year, undertakers are now taking orders for horse-drawn funerals at the rate of two a week in some areas. Simon Fisher, group general manager for the Midcounties Co-operative Funeral Service based in Walsall, said: "This shows that the more traditional form of transporting hearses still appeals to Black Country families.

"Over time the way a coffin is transported has gone from a hand bier pulled by men, to a horse-drawn hearse and then to a motorised hearse, which the vast majority of funerals are conducted with today.

"We are now seeing a revival of horse-drawn hearses being used because of the traditional and elegant nature of this form of transport."

The firm has arranged two such funerals a week so far this year.

Ashley Savell-Boss who runs Trinity Funerals in Smethwick is organising at least one horse-drawn hearse every month.

Mr Savell-Boss said the trend for old-style glass carriages had been steadily growing over the past decade. "I don't know what sparked the comeback but I think word of mouth has helped spread the idea," he said.

"People see a team of horses at the head of a funeral procession, and it's such an impressive sight. The horses look so smart and dignified, it makes the occasion even more moving somehow." Dutch Friesian horses are used to pull the hearses, for their calm nature, with ostrich feathers used for the blackened plumes.

Joy Whatley owns Bromsgrove-based Foxdell Carriages which supplies horses for several Black Country undertakers. She said: "It used to be once in a blue moon that the horses were used for funerals, now funerals are becoming a mainstay of our business."

Horse-drawn hearses are also popular in Cannock but in Stafford mourners are not following the trend. Matthew Emery, of William Emery and Sons, said the Stafford firm had one request recently but the previous one was a year ago. "They are not as popular here as they are in Cannock and the Black Country," he added.