About FP Gaunts and Sons

In 1900 Percival Gaunt, a local carpenter was asked to produce a coffin for a friend. With help from his Father Decimus he rose to the challenge in the hay loft of The Old Bush Revived Public House on Powke Lane which had been in the family for over 200 years. From here the Gaunt dynasty was born and our calling to become The Independent Family-Owned Funeral Directors we are today began. By 1910, the business had grown and Percy moved to our current location on High Street in Blackheath. Originally F. Percy Gaunt. As the business grew naturally Percy's two sons, Stanley and Ronald Gaunt joined the company and it became F.P Gaunt and Son. In 1947, after the war F.P Gaunt & Son became a limited company and our name became F.P Gaunt & Sons Ltd. Stans son Peter joined the company in 1960 and worked his way through the company before buying Ron's shares in 1986. This led to Ron's retirement. When Stanley died in 1993 Peter inherited his shares, and became major shareholder.

Present Day

Percival House has undergone major refurbishment over the years, continually striving to serve the funeral needs of Blackheath and the surrounding communities with their bespoke funeral home and dedicated staff. The Independent Family-Owned Funeral Directors is still under the personal attention of Heidi, her Husband Darren, Retired Peter Gaunt and his two Grandsons Sam and Jake Gaunt. We pride ourselves on the professional service we are able to provide and our ability to make funeral arrangements to suit every requirement and budget.

Peter's daughter Heidi joined the company in 1991 as Funeral Administrator, she worked her way up learning how the business worked before becoming Managing Director in 2008.

In 2010 upon leaving school, Heidi's eldest Son Sam Gaunt joined the family business as a Funeral Operative before becoming a Funeral Director. In 2014 he gained his qualification for Funeral Arranging and Administration and began studying to further his diploma in Funeral Directing in 2018. In 2013, Jake Gaunt joined the family business as a Funeral Operative, and like his brother Sam progressed onto becoming a Funeral Director. Jake began studying for his Diploma in 2019. Sam and Jake Gaunt are the 6th Generation of the Gaunt family to work within the business and they together are The Company Managers who oversee the day to day running of the business. Their younger Brother Joe joined the family business in 2020 as a Funeral Operative after leaving school.