Unique hearse options

In addition to our modern fleet of hearses, John Allison/Monkhouse offers two other types of hearses for you to choose from:

Horse-Drawn HearseAustralian Funeral Industry icon

John Allison/Monkhouse’s Horse-Drawn Hearse has been made famous through its involvement in many funeral services throughout Australia. Having travelled as far south as Rosebud (VIC.) and as far north as Tennant Creek (N.T.) it has truly become an Australian Funeral Industry Icon.

This unique hearse was originally crafted in the 1820’s by G.B. Huiskamp of Winterwijk, Holland. Found in dilapidated condition in a barn in the Western district of Victoria, it was purchased by John Allison/Monkhouse and painstakingly restored by a coachbuilder in Castlemaine who identified the timber as Baltic Pine and the axles as of English origin.

Our horses are a French breed of draught horse called Percherons. They are pure black and stand 16hh.

For a highly individual service we offer you the John Allison/Monkhouse Horse-Drawn Hearse.

For further information, please call 1300 66 65 46 or email

Horse Drawn Hearse graphicHorse Drawn Hearse image

1926 Rolls Royce Hearse

The ‘Rolls’ hearse provides an excellent opportunity for families to avail themselves of an additional option to make the funeral truly unique and reminiscent of genteel times past.

Rolls-Royce

This magnificent automobile arrived in Melbourne aboard S.S. Herminius on September 2, 1926. After being sold by its original owner, Mrs. T.M. Burke of Armadale, Victoria, it had a succession of owners including the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr. Daniel Mannix. Falling into disuse and disrepair over ensuing years, the Phantom was rescued in the mid-1990’s by John Allison/Monkhouse.

Nick Simms Automotive of Cheltenham, Victoria commenced restoration of the chasis and mechanicals, while a search was launched for a suitable hearse body. In 1996, at an auction conducted by Shannon’s in Melbourne a Woodall Nicholson hearse body from a 1921 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost appeared to the delight of John Allison/Monkhouse. Woodhall Nicholson was a leading and respected manufacturer of hearse coachwork in the UK. John Allison/Monkhouse were the successful bidders.

But mating the hearse body with the 68DC’s chassis would not prove easy. Because the Phantom 1 had a wheelbase some 7 inches (nearly 18cm) longer than that of the Silver Ghost 106AG, the hearse body had to be ‘stretched’ to fit. This was achieved skillfully and seamlessly by Dune Bodyworks of Cheltenham. The result is a beautifully balanced and elegant vintage Rolls Royce hearse embodying the dignity its duties demand.

Rolls Royce imageRolls Royce graphic

Unique Pagoda Hearse

John Allison/Monkhouse Funeral Directors are proud to announce that they are now able to offer clients the use of a specialty Pagoda Hearse.

This new vehicle is intended to cater for the needs of the local Melbourne Asian community. It has a single tier; this being the most appropriate for the majority of Asian cultures and funeral customs. Currently, it is the only hearse of its type in Australia.

John Allison/Monkhouse is a family company, with over 140 years of experience, and one of the funeral industry’s true innovators. The addition of the Pagoda Hearse is in keeping with the firm’s commitment to providing individualised, caring funeral services to the general community.

For enquiries regarding the use of this magnificent hearse, please call Lap Mai on (03) 9547 2726 or email