About J.Gumbrill
We at J.Gumbrill have been designing, making, supplying and installing memorials since 1905. We are known for our quality of service and impeccable craftsmanship. Every memorial is made bespoke to our customers’ precise requirements. Our showroom, based in Horsham, displays several styles of memorials and numerous samples of the types of stone that are available. Our team is always happy to advise on what is most suitable, taking into account your requirements.
We also undertake memorial renovations both large and small and specialise in restoring older memorials to their former glory- our professionally-qualified team are happy to appraise any existing memorial and provide a realistic quote as to the likely work needed. We also provide pet memorials and house signs, and can advise on any other commemorative stonework you may require.
J.Gumbrill is a long-established firm of masons based in and around the town of Horsham. We cover a large area across Sussex, Surrey, Brighton and Hove, and London in our everyday work- although we are happy to go further afield should the need arise. As well as work for private customers, we also carry out many projects for various churches and councils including restorations of local war memorials and the creation of public monuments such as plaques marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Queen’s Canopy and King Charles’ Coronation.
Our story
The company was founded in the early 1900s by John Gumbrill, who had grown up in Billingshurst and learned stonemasonry locally, having worked on buildings including Roedean School in Brighton and Holy Trinity Church in Horsham, before starting his own business. J.Gumbrill traded from a workshop and yard in Nelson Road, Horsham for many years, being passed down the family- John’s son-in-law, Harold Snelling, was a third-generation stonemason and lived in Nelson Road until his death in 1975. Eventually the time came when there was no one to take over. However, Freeman Brothers had worked closely with J.Gumbrill for many years and so the Freeman family decided to acquire it and run both businesses side-by-side. This meant a continuity of service could be offered between the two companies who now share offices in North Parade, where Freeman Brothers has been based since 1855 and just a short distance from the original Nelson Road premises.
This advert for J.Gumbrill from the West Sussex County Times of the late 1930s shows the telephone number of ‘Horsham 134’. The Nelson Road address was one of the first in Horsham to have a telephone and it wasn’t unusual for the police (who knew there was a line in the property) to knock on Harold’s door and ask to use the phone, especially during the war.
John Gumbrill is buried in Hills Cemetery, near the Chapel- his grave is marked by a distinctive Cornish Granite cross.
Our home
J.Gumbrill’s showroom and admin team is based in the Freeman Brothers offices in North Parade, Horsham. The showroom features examples of memorial styles and has numerous samples for you to compare the different stone types and finishes available, as well as enabling you to see how choices that you make around lettering style and colour can impact your finished memorial. After noting your requirements, we produce a quote for you and commence the work upon acceptance.
You can contact the team at any point during the process by telephoning 01403 265358 or emailing info@jgumbrill.co.uk.
All our work to prepare your memorial takes place at our workshop on the Knepp Estate, just outside Horsham. Here, we have state-of-the art equipment including a sandblaster, which is used alongside the traditional hand tools that memorials have been made with for centuries. All our stones are lettered in-house by our skilled team of craftspeople, meaning we can work with the natural stone and your requirements to create something unique and fitting.
The team behind the craft
Our team is comprised of three departments who all work together throughout the process of designing, supplying and installing your memorial. Our admin team liaises with you to establish your requirements and ensures you receive accurate advice about how your preferences fit with the regulations of the memorial’s situation- and, for example, the implications of a particular choice of material on the lettercutting method. Our lettercutters are true experts in their craft, the team having over 80 years’ experience in working with stone. As well as memorials for J.Gumbrill, they have worked on sites including Historic Royal Palaces and the National Portrait Gallery. Our team of monumental masons are registered with the BRAMM accreditation scheme, meaning they are expert in the most appropriate and modern fixing methods to ensure the memorial stays in place.
Our values
J.Gumbrill is proud of its long-established history and the values that we have taken with us in our 120 years of service to our community. We believe in producing high-quality, bespoke memorials and giving a friendly, trustworthy service where nothing is too much trouble. We pride ourselves on our expertise and the quality of our advice- we will ensure the memorial you commission is not only a fitting tribute but also appropriate to the regulations of its setting. We understand that choosing a memorial, or deciding to renovate one can be a big step. Our team is empathetic, caring, and respectful of your needs and we are always happy to provide quotations without obligation and work at a pace that suits you, whilst keeping you informed of our progress towards completion.
What do our customers say?
Annissa welcomed me as soon as I entered the showroom. She was very friendly & helpful, answering questions & offering advice as I had never had to order a headstone before. All went to plan, the headstone is just what I wanted and looks very good. Thank you to Annissa and everyone involved!
The helpfulness and support given by Annissa and Richard was excellent. At no time did we feel any of our questions were too trivial or time wasting.
I cannot say enough about the service we received from the Gumbrill team. They were just super, very helpful all the way through a difficult process. I will recommend them to everyone. The service from J.Gumbrill has been supportive and kind and very professional throughout this process.