A & J Morriss & Sons

Part of the Rowland Brothers Group, A & J Morriss is an independent, family run business with all the attributes that brings. Funerals are supported by the Rowland Brothers fleet and staff, and back office administrative support frees the Morriss staff members to devote themselves to the families they serve.

There are two branches of A & J Morriss, looked after by Anji Reeves, the funeral director and area manager. Anji holds both the Diploma in Funeral Arranging and in Funeral Directing, and she conducts the funerals for both branches, and is based in the Addiscombe office, where she is assisted by funeral arrangers Sue Palmer and Judi Gentry. The Beddington branch is run by Brian Freeman.

The Addiscombe branch is located in Lower Addiscombe Road, and has an attractive cream exterior with large windows and glass doors. The modern reception area leads in to a comfortable arranging room with a large dining table and chairs where funeral arrangements are discussed. Further back there is a small office where the staff have their computers and phones, and a small kitchen area is tucked away to the left. Anji keeps various herbal teas and decaffeinated coffee for clients here, and if you are spending time in the chapel of rest visiting a relative there will be an endless supply if you want it.

The chapels of rest are towards the rear of the building where you will have privacy, away from the bustle of the main road.

The Beddington branch is on The Broadway, and is looked after by Brian who has been with the company for almost 30 years. Formerly in the print industry, Brian is a veteran who served in Egypt, and he has now settled in to looking after a branch after years conducting funerals for local families. Clearly popular in the area, Brian has frequent visitors calling in during the day for a chat. He has his office behind the reception area in this small branch, and there is a compact chapel of rest at the rear of the premises.

Independently owned and run, Rowland Brothers has five branches operating under the family name, with another four locations that they have purchased retaining their original owners’ names. The company was established in 1873, and seven generations of the Rowland family have been involved since then, with the current ‘Big Boss’, Tony Rowland now in his late seventies but still very much hands on and involved with the running of the business. (Tony was responsible for founding Rowland Brothers International and the funeral plan provider Golden Leaves, and is well known locally for his work with charities and other organisations).

Tony’s son, Steve Rowland, is managing director of the business and now leads the development of the whole Rowland Brothers group and he is one of the best kind of bosses. Despite his busy diary, he spent the day driving us around to visit all of their branches, and the genuine affection with which he was greeted by all of his staff was very revealing. Born and bred in the area, Steve is very much a man of the people, with an easy manner belying a keen eye for quality and a strong sense of responsibility and duty. Steve trusts his staff to do their job properly, and he doesn’t micro-manage, he lets them get on with things. Full training is provided when a new staff member joins the team to ensure that the new person has a full understanding of the Rowland Brothers way of working, with a buddy system in place. Many of the staff have been with the company for years, and have gained vast experience in all types of funerals, so there is always someone who will be able to help with a more complicated funeral arrangement if needed. Support is provided for those who want to gain qualifications, and there’s a HR lady who looks after the wellbeing of everyone in the various companies (Rowland Brothers have many different services, from repatriation, funeral plans, exhumation services, monumental masonry, legal services and their recently formed charity, the Rowland Brothers Foundation. Steve is at the head of all of these companies, overseeing all crucial operations and decisions.)