Our story
A family firm,
rooted in the Valley.
J.W. Churnside & Son has long been part of the fabric of the Rossendale Valley, serving families across Haslingden, Rawtenstall and the surrounding Lancashire communities.
Like many traditional funeral directors in the area, the business developed as a family-led service rooted in trust, discretion, and deep local knowledge.
From our home on Burnley Road in East Waterfoot, we have looked after Rossendale families through the most difficult moments of their lives. Ours is not a large practice; that is by design. Every family we serve is met, guided and supported by the same familiar face, from the very first telephone call through to the gentle months after the funeral.
The work of a funeral director is, in truth, the work of listening. No two farewells are alike, and no family arrives with the same wishes, faith or feelings. Our role is to take care of every practical detail — discreetly, correctly, and without fuss — so that you have the space to remember.
Three generations
A century of family funeral care
For around one hundred years, three generations of the Churnside family have looked after Rossendale families — quietly, personally, and with the same standards from one generation to the next.
Grandfather
Joseph Wilson Churnside
The business was founded around a century ago by Joseph Wilson Churnside, a joiner by trade. Joseph had moved to Rossendale to work on the nurses' accommodation at Rossendale Hospital, and — as was common at the time — began undertaking as a side-line to his joinery, building coffins and helping local families with funeral arrangements.
From those modest beginnings on Burnley Road, a quiet, trusted service grew up around the family name.
Father
Peter Churnside
Joseph's son, Peter Churnside, carried the firm into its second generation, formalising it as J.W. Churnside & Son and establishing the private Chapel of Rest in Waterfoot that families still know today.
Under Peter's care the practice grew into a complete funeral service — arranging traditional funerals, cremations and horse-drawn hearses across the valley — while keeping the unhurried, personal touch that had defined it from the start.
Proprietor
Michael Churnside
Today the firm is run by Michael Churnside, the third generation of the family. Having grown up around the business, Michael brings a lifetime's familiarity with the work and a clear belief that the family who first meets you should be the family that sees everything through.
The person who visits you after a bereavement is the same person who will conduct the funeral — there is no being passed from hand to hand. It is, as Michael puts it, "a refreshing change from some of the larger firms".
Michael and the team take a quiet pride in being asked for the unusual as well as the traditional — horse-drawn hearses, brass bands and motorcycle corteges have all set out from the Chapel of Rest over the years. Whatever the request, the answer is the same: if it can be done with dignity, it will be done.
A local legacy
Part of the Rossendale Story
Today, J.W. Churnside & Son stands as part of a long lineage of independent funeral directors in Rossendale — businesses that have historically been passed down through generations, preserving a deeply personal approach in contrast to larger national chains.
While the industry has evolved, the core values remain unchanged: care for families at difficult times, strong ties to the local community, and continuity across generations. We are immensely proud to remain a wholly independent, family-led business. We answer to the families we serve, not to a head office, and the standards we keep are the standards we would want for our own.
