Welcome
A funeral is one of life’s most personal events, and we appreciate how important it is for each family to discuss, plan and agree upon the funeral service. Our involvement begins the moment you contact us but continues well beyond the day your loved one is laid to rest.
We promise you the highest quality service and care delivered with compassion and sensitivity and, throughout, we will be there to guide and assist in your time of need. We are extremely proud of the funeral services we offer and believe them to be some of the best available in both the UK and Yorkshire.
Funeral Services
Coming together with family and friends gives everyone the opportunity to share memories, express emotions and find comforting support. Whether you choose burial or cremation, the need for acknowledgement of the loss with family and friends, is ever present.
Final Goodbye
You can never go back and do it again. That’s why we hope you will honour and celebrate your loved one in a way that you can look back on in years to come, and be thankful that you did the best you could for that special person. Creating a ceremony that calls together the hearts and minds of all who loved the deceased, is a gift to everyone involved.
Healing Experiences
In the depths of early grief, you might think that it would be easier to take care of things as simply and as quickly as possible. But easier, isn’t always better. You must first set the stage for the future by giving your family and friends the opportunity to start the healing process. That start is often in the funeral ceremony.
Our Heritage
High standards take decades to craft and evolve. Eric F. Box Funeral Directors has been plying its trade since 1853 and, as a long established family owned firm, we consider it our responsibility to provide one of the best services in the UK and Yorkshire, backed up by a strict code of ethical business practices.
Our origins date back to the mid 19th century when Edwin Box started a small haulage business in Cross Street, Batley. Some years later he moved across the road to Wellington Street where, as the owner of horses, he was able to diversify into carriage mastering, providing horse-drawn hearses and cabs for funerals.
Edwin’s son George had three sons who continued to expand the independent firm of funeral directors and, due to the demise of the horse hearse in 1932, motor garages were established in Dewsbury, Batley and Ossett under the company name ‘George Box Ltd.’
The business eventually moved from Batley to Dewsbury and, as the 1970’s heralded the arrival of pop culture, so they also saw the emergence of ‘funeral directing’ as many firms started to take a more active role in the bereavement industry.
Richard Box’s sons, Andrew and Edward – the sixth generation of the family – joined the firm in the 1990’s and, in 1998, the current purpose-designed bereavement home on Bradford Road, Dewsbury opened, extending still further in 2014.
Earlier in 2003 – as the firm was celebrating 150 years in business – Box’s first branch office opened in Ossett, re-locating to its current location on Kingsway seven years later. Families now have full access to chapel-of-rest facilities at both sites.
Eric F. Box remains committed to providing of-the-moment funeral services, that are responsive to both the changing needs of families and society at large.
ACCREDITATIONS
Eric F. Box Funeral Directors has been a family business since 1853 and members of the Box family still remain at the helm.
We are members of all the key trade associations, which you can see below, and the firm’s current directors, Edward, Andrew and Richard Box are always there to support you in your time of need.
– National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD)
– National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
– International Federation of Thanatologists Assoc (IFTA)
– British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons – BRAMM
Transparent Prices
CMA’s Standardised Price List – PDF Download
Eric F. Box Funeral Director’s Additional Options Price List – PDF Download
Cremation and Fingerprint Jewellery Price List – PDF Download
Payment Terms / Disclosure of Interest – PDF Download
Local Crematoria Price List – PDF Download
Our Team & Staff
Eric F. Box Funeral Directors is owned and managed by the Box Family and has been since 1853. As a long established and leading family owned firm of funeral directors, it is our responsibility to the local community to provide an exemplary standard of service, product and safety, whilst always adhering to fair business practices.
Richard Box
Managing Director
As the fifth generation of the Box family, Richard gained his Diploma in Funeral Directing in 1976. Born and bred in Dewsbury and with more than 60 years experience, he is probably one of the most senior people in the UK profession. He no longer arranges and conducts funerals but his wisdom and knowledge are used by the team on a daily basis.
Andrew Box
Director & Funeral Director
Andrew is the youngest of the sixth generation of the family. He is not only responsible for arranging and coordinating funerals, but also many aspects of the practical day-to-day running of the business. In 1995, at the age of 17, he became the youngest person in the UK, at the time, to achieve the National Association of Funeral Directors’ Diploma.
Edward Box
Director & Funeral Director
Edward has evolved the firm into a funeral directors for the 21st Century. A qualified funeral director, Edward gained the National Association of Funeral Directors’ Diploma in 2005. Even though Edward still arranges funerals, most of his time is spent in the office doing the things which people don’t see to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Christopher Harrison
Embalmer & Hearse Driver
Chris joined the company as a funeral assistant after leaving school in the summer of 2002. He went on to train as an embalmer, qualifying and becoming a member of the British Institute of Embalmers in 2009. Since 2011 he has also been the main hearse driver and a pall bearer at funerals and in 2024 started to train as a funeral director.
Sally Box
Funeral Director
Sally is Andrew’s wife and achieved a long held ambition to become a funeral director when she joined as a trainee in 2015. She is now a fully qualified funeral director.
Kate Richards
Accountant
Kate looks after all the financial side of the business. She also sometimes greets people when they come to the door as well as answering calls from families.
Robert Edmond
Funeral Director
Robert is Mr Birstall. Living and working in Birstall all his life, he is a respected member of the town’s close-knit community. Robert knows most of our Birstall families on first name terms as he has guided families through their bereavements over several generations.
Andy Redfern
Funeral Assistant
Andy has been working for Eric F. Box for many years and can often be seen at funerals across the district in his capacity as both chauffeur and funeral assistant. Like all of our other team members, he prides himself on supporting and caring for families whilst they are in his charge.
Ian Fisher
Funeral Assistant
Ian is a retired crematorium attendant and technician. Since retirement he has joined the team and can often be seen at funerals across the district in his capacity as both chauffeur and funeral assistant.
Terry Haker-Smith
Funeral Assistant
Terry has been working in the industry for many years and can be seen at funerals across the district in his capacity as both chauffeur and funeral assistant.
Neil Richards
Funeral Assistant
Neil is Kate’s husband and has been working for Eric F. Box for many years. He can often be seen at funerals across the district in his capacity as both chauffeur and funeral assistant.
Virginia Pollitt
Head of Housekeeping
Virginia has been with the firm for almost two decades and is an integral part of our ‘behind-the-scenes’ team. If she isn’t making sure that the Dewsbury funeral home is spic and span, she is keeping everyone supplied with tea and coffee and even answering the phones during busy periods!
Martyn White
Funeral Service Operative
Martyn looks after the funeral fleet, ensuring they are spotless and gleaming as well as being our main hearse driver. His other main role is collecting loved ones from their place of death with one of the funeral directors and bringing them into our care.
