Cremation Cremation was never actually illegal in Britain. The first working crematorium was built at Woking, Surrey in 1879 and was used a few times a year from 1885. In 1902 Parliament passed the Cremation Act, which both formally recognized the practice and legislated its use. Cemeteries began to cater for cremated remains; Highgate Cemetery, for example, opened a columbarium in 1902, with cubicles designed to hold urns full of ashes. Cremation took a long time to catch on, however, probably because of the Christian belief in resurrection. Once Christian faith began to wane in Britain, as a result of the two world wars, cremation became more popular; now 70% of the population chooses it. Cremations per year in Britain: 1885 – 3 1886 –10 1887 – 13 1912 – over 1000 1936 – 10,000 1968 – over half the deaths 2001- 70% of deaths CLOSE WINDOW