Dame Patricia Routledge’s funeral was held at Chichester Cathedral
Cheryl Mullin, Stanley Murphy-Johns and Jenny Garnsworthy
15:09, 05 Nov 2025
Dame Patricia Routledge has been laid to rest at Chichester Cathedral (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
Hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their final respects to Keeping Up Appearances legend Dame Patricia Routledge at her funeral service. The ceremony at Chichester Cathedral in West Sussex was described as an opportunity to honour a “dear friend” and celebrate the star’s remarkable life and “many achievements”.
Dame Patricia passed away last month aged 96. The actress, who made her professional stage debut in 1952, was born in Tranmere on February 17 1929 and attended Mersey Park Primary School, and subsequently Birkenhead High School where she sang in the choir and ran the Sunday School.
The Very Reverend Nicholas Frayling delivered the tribute, highlighting Dame Patricia’s “instinctive ability, not merely to observe people, but to absorb their characteristics, especially solitary people with hidden vulnerabilities”.
“She never talked about it, but she was a prodigiously generous philanthropist.
The coffin of Dame Patricia Routledge arrives at Chichester Cathedral, for her funeral service(Image: PA)
“She donated more than £1 million to causes that benefit young people, especially those beginning their careers in music or theatre.
“Many such people and numerous charitable causes will continue to benefit through the Patricia Routledge Foundation.”
He revealed that among all her performances, “one that gave her particular satisfaction” was starring in BBC crime drama series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.
He continued: “This unassuming television series, which to Patricia’s annoyance, was discontinued while still very popular, tackled many major social issues, all of which were important to her.
“These included unemployment, homelessness, drug addiction and loneliness. Despite her seemingly extrovert personality, she was sensitive and troubled by such issues and their victims.”
Dame Patricia Routledge’s coffin is carried into Chichester Cathedral(Image: PA)
In her final hours, Dame Patricia read passages from Yates and Shakespeare with her carer, the service was told.
The choir at Chichester Cathedral sang hymns and the final lyric heard during the service was “Walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone”, from the musical Carousel, which Dame Patricia had starred in on stage.
The star is most recognised for her portrayal of the comically pretentious Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, which aired in the early 1990s.
Penned by Roy Clarke, Keeping Up Appearances also featured the late Liverpool-born Clive Swift as Richard, Hyacinth’s endlessly patient husband. The series, which ran from 1990 to 1995, gained a substantial following in the US as well.
In addition to her television work, she had an extensive career on the stage. She made her professional debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952 in “A Midsummer Nights Dream”. Her first television appearance was in 1956 in the ITV play of the week and her first film appearance was in 1967 in “To Sir with Love”.
Over her career, she appeared in nine films, 66 TV shows, and 56 times on stage and has been awarded a Tony Award, an Olivier, an OBE, CBE, and DBE for services to theatre and charity.
