Levertons Since 1789

History of Levertons

Leases dating from 1789 show John Leverton of Henry Street (click to view map dated 1799) buying land and selling the houses he built on them. At this time, funeral work was conducted by local carpenters “undertaking” to make the coffins and transport the body. Leverton and Sons Ltd has been a family owned company of funeral directors based within the St Pancras area of London for two hundred and twenty years.

In 1763, John Leverton was baptised in the village of Meeth, Devon. One day he packed his bags and in 1789 he made the long journey to London to set up business as a carpenter. Coming from a Devonshire village, eighteenth century London must have seemed a vast place.

Initially, coffin-making would have represented only a small part of the work which employed John all those years ago, but as the area became more densely populated, the funeral side of his work expanded at such a rate that it soon dominated the business.


In the fourth generation of Leverton funeral directors, Henry John (1859-1935) was the eldest son. He moved our business premises to Eversholt Street in 1888. Our head office is in the same street today. His son Stanley (1883-1963) became a partner in 1909 and was later joined by his own sons: Derrick, Ivor and Basil. The seventh generation is represented by Ivor’s sons, Keith (now retired) and Clive. Our Head Office is in Eversholt Street where cousins Pippa and Andrew are based.

As children, Keith and Clive assumed that all houses had the phone ringing in the middle of the night and that everyone’s dads abandoned half-eaten evening meals on a regular basis. Funeral directing as a family trade is unusual because the business affects the lives of your nearest and dearest at all hours of the day. So, as children, the Levertons were always aware that the people on the other end of the telephone had to be treated with great care. This is without doubt where our training began.

Keith recalls meeting the school careers officer for the first time. The man had spent most of his day advising boys that they may not necessarily be selected for Arsenal and trying to convince them that perhaps a back-up plan might be a good idea. Keith sat down and firmly said ‘I want to be a funeral director’. The careers adviser was speechless for some time. Whether it was relief or disbelief, we’ll never know.

Modern communications have made our work much easier. The 24 hour nature of funeral directing can now be shared among several people as opposed to being the job of those who live above a Levertons branch. In the early days, it was the doorbell. Most people died at home 50 years ago and when that happened, we were around the corner - the first port of call for a family in distress.

Download a pdf of an article Basil Leverton wrote for the Camden Historical Society back in 1982 which gives more information about the History.

Immediate Assistance

In the case of someone dying at home, or if you need to contact us for immediate assistance out of our office hours, please do call us. We can arrange collection at any time of day or night:

I can confirm with total sincerity that Levertons, and in particular Julie, are superb. Sympathetic, supportive, honest and direct. After 234 years they really have got the hang of it. I am happy to express my gratitude and praise for a wonderful company……they deserve every one of their five stars. Graham Walker 27 March 2024

Review by Graham W left on 27 Mar 2024

Google

Very kind and professional with great attention to detail. At what is a difficult and sad time, you can rely on them to deal with the arrangements in the best way possible. Thank you in particular to Andrew whose help and advice was invaluable.

Review by Phil G left on 21 Mar 2024

Google

In the most difficult time of our lives Lorna and the rest of team made the process as easy as they possibly could taking a lot of pressure off of us, treating my mum with such dignity that she deserves, and giving her the most beautiful send off, I will be forever greatful for their service.

Review by Kirsty M left on 15 Mar 2024

Google

From start to finish Leverton & Sons provided a superb service. We had used Levertons about 15 years' ago and based on a positive experience then, we chose Levertons again. I can safely say that the exceptional standard of service has been maintained if not surpassed.. I'd like to make special mention of the Fortis Green branch where Deborah Rush dealt with the whole process and our requests both sympathetically and efficiently.

Review by Peter P left on 15 Mar 2024

TRUSTist

Levertons led us through the whole process. They were very professional and knowledgeable. They took away needing to talk to lots of people and acted as the link between everyone involved. We’ve used them before and will use them in the future should the unfortunate need arise.

Review by franc f left on 14 Mar 2024

Google

Thanks to the kind, helpful and professional support from the staff at Leverton's, we were able to put together a funeral for my husband that we think he would have enjoyed! The time between a death and the funeral is emotional and the steady encouragement from Lorna at Leverton's was crucial for helping us through. I am also particularly grateful for the introduction to Rosalie, who proved to be the perfect Celebrant for us. I loved working with a team of family and friends, with Rosalie and the funeral directors providing structure, mechanisms and co-ordination: Lorna was such a responsive and competent person to keep us working towards our goal in a timely way.

Review by Daphne A left on 14 Mar 2024

Google

I highly recommend Levertons

Review by Des C left on 14 Mar 2024

Google

It's not a big place but during the heartbreaking time of my mother's passing Drew and his team at Leverton's made the whole process smooth and effortless.

Review by subhra b left on 12 Mar 2024

Google

Review by Cod M left on 11 Mar 2024

Google

I thought the funeral was very well managed. Everyone was kind and helpful but discreet.

Review by Lorna W left on 07 Mar 2024

TRUSTist

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