Originally common pasture land, the area of Anfield had the name of Hanging-fields or Hangfield the name originating from the deeply sloping (or 'hanging') nature of the terrain around Walton-on-the-Hill rather than a renowned place of execution.

The movement towards cremation, as opposed to the traditional Christian burial, began in Victorian Britain through the pioneering work of Sir Henry Thompson.  Thompson recognised the links between Burial, particularly that of the intramural burial (practice of burying within the neighbourhood) and killer diseases such as cholera.  In 1874 he took a foremost part in founding the Cremation Society of Great Britain, of which he was the first president; and not only was he active in urging the advantages of cremation as a means of disposing of the body after death, but also did much towards the removal of the legal restrictions by which it was at first sought to prevent its practice in England.

The work of Thompson was supported by the actions of the controversial Dr. William Price. He is remembered chiefly as the performer of the first legal cremation in the United Kingdom, which took place on 18 January 1884 . His actions in attempting to cremate his deceased son resulted in his arrest. However, subsequent at the courts upheld his views at his subsequent trial thus paving the way for more prevalent use of cremation.

The first Crematorium to be built in England was at Woking, Surrey with the first official cremation taking place in 1885. In Liverpool moves to build what would become the country’s fourth Crematorium at Anfield gathered pace with the first official meeting of the Liverpool Crematorium Company Limited on the 13^th November 1891. The meeting took place at 30 Castle Street and elected Alfred Holt as its first President, Robert Dale as his Vice-President and Charles Jones as Treasurer. They adopted the motto ’Labes Exurito iigni’ which loosely translated means ‘cleansed by fire’, and raised capital for the building of the crematorium by issuing 1,000 shares for £10 each. Shareholders were warned though that the practice of cremation was still hindered by widely perceived, mainly religious prejudices and the company was not started with a money making objective. It was initiated more as trial for the methods of cremation and to present them as more sanitary than burial.  The offer of shares gave the Liverpool Crematorium Company the then princely sum of £10,000 which allowed them to purchase a 3,600 square yards of land adjacent to Anfield Cemetery from the Liverpool Burial Board for the sum of £1,875. The land was once occupied by an old Priory hence the name of the road on which stood became ’Priory Road’. The architect James Rhind was commissioned to design the building with Colombarium and in May 1894 a contract was secured with the builders W.H. Forde of Birkenhead for the construction of the Crematorium at a cost of £2,740. The following August the foundation stone was laid by Lord Mayor W.B. Bowring.

The design of the building included on the ground floor the main chapel with ante-chamber, waiting room and incinerating chamber. Under the chapel stood the columbarium with three corridors in which are arranged 486 niches for the reception of urns. The total cost of the buildings land and furnace was £8,000. The building was officially opened by a later Lord Mayor of Liverpool, The Earl of Derby on September 11^th 1896.

The 6^th Annual Report of the Liverpool Crematorium Company, (the first whilst in operation) reported a disappointing response to the advent of cremation as a viable alternative to burial. There were just 7 cremations in the first year of operation. The following few years showed a small but steady increase in the numbers of cremations, but this was hardly a decent return for the initial investment of £10 made by shareholders.

In 1903 the return for shareholders was dealt a further blow when the Home Office issued a set of regulations pertaining to cremation. This added to the cost of cremation and Cremation Company Board members felt that this would lead to a decline in cremation. It was here that the first notion of selling the crematorium to the Burial Board was first suggested. Over the next five years annual cremation figures continued to be low, typically, ranging between 34 and 45.  It was noted in the annual report of 1906 that ‘the indifference of the public is a matter of regret and some surprise.’ 

In February 1908 the sale of the Crematorium was unanimously agreed at an Extraordinary General Meeting and was effected in October of that year for the sum of £2500. The company was later wound up and shareholders received only £3 1shilling and 1 penny per £10 share.

There are a number of significant and famous people who have been cremated and interred at Anfield Crematorium;

Lieutenant-Colonel Donald Dickson Farmer one of just a handful of recipients of the Victoria Cross in Liverpool was interred at Anfield in December 1936. He was awarded his medal after displaying extreme bravery under fire during the Boer War in 1900.

Bill Shankly, arguably one of the greatest football managers of all time was cremated at Anfield in October 1981. The Liverpool side he inherited was an average Second Division side, transforming them into the best in Europe. He laid the foundations of a club which would become the most successful club in British football history.

Irvine Stephens Bulloch, uncle of US President 'Teddy' Roosevelt and a significant figure during the American Civil War. He is reputed to have fired the last shot from the Confederate CSS Alabama, (officially listed as the most prolific raiding ship of all time), before she sank in the English Channel in June 1864.  Irvine was cremated at Anfield Crematorium in 1898 and his ashes were buried in Toxteth Cemetery.

Bessie Braddock, famous Liverpool MP, she served in the House of Commons for 24 years. Nicknamed ‘Battling Bessie’, she was noted for her tough talking no-nonsense approach to political arguments. She fought hard and long to improve the plight of the poor in Liverpool and her efforts were rewarded a few months before her death in 1970 when she was awarded the freedom of the city.

Brian Labone, former Everton Captain and 1970 England World Cup squad member was cremated at Anfield in 2006.

 Copyright © 2007 Martin Doherty

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