Mourning warehouse (original) (raw)

A mourning warehouse or maison de deuil was a shop which sold goods for funerals and the elaborate mourning of the Victorian era. These included dark clothing and fabric which might be required for years of wear after a death. These establishments could also provide large items such as coffins, a hearse and appropriate horses to draw it. In the 20th century, the fashion for elaborate funerals and mourning declined. The surviving establishments, such as Hanningtons of Brighton, tended to diversify by becoming more general department stores.