Philip Oxley originally established his business as the village carpenter in Walton-on-the-Naze and in common with village carpenters up and down the country, he was by tradition also the village undertaker.
Philip's joinery skills were employed in handcrafting coffins to each customer’s individual specifications and he used a horse drawn hearse to carry out funerals.
In the 1800’s the two businesses were then seen as complementary operations and almost uniquely, 160 years later the two businesses remain structured in the same way today as P.G. Oxley Ltd continues to offer personal and individual service in both building and funeral services.