Alistair Turner established his own company in 2005 building on a long-established family legacy of serving the Alnwick, Amble and Rothbury communities.
The family business starts with David Cockburn in 1922, a joiner and cabinet-maker which included the manufacture of coffins for customers as part of this service. Like many joiners during the 20th Century, this provision gradually extended to arranging the whole funeral.
On leaving school, David’s nephew George joined the family business and developed a reputation as being the ‘Alnwick Undertaker’, providing care for families right up to his own death in 1992. Alistair Turner is George’s nephew and he took over the family business immediately.
By 1996, and responding to the needs of local families, Alistair commissioned purpose built premises at Greensfield Park in Alnwick.
In 2005, Alistair decided to rebrand the business to Alistair Turner and a year later, acquired two new offices in Amble and Rothbury. Retirement beckoning, Alistair sought out another family business with ethics and experience to take on the legacy of his own. William Purves, with its five generations and reputation for premier funeral services, was a natural fit.
