Family, friends and former colleagues from all over the world came to remember and say a final farewell to a man who dominated global homeopathy for many years.
They arrived to the sound of the church's bells ringing in celebration of Dr Fisher's life, which was a fitting prelude to a service of music, poetry and personal memories that reflected not only the high esteem in which Dr Fisher was held but also his wide-ranging interests.
Among those attending were representatives of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The congregation heard a life-long friend describe Dr Fisher as a caring. warm and intelligent man whose "ordinariness and extraordinariness" set him apart from his peers. Several Faculty colleagues who had worked with him at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine (RLHIM) also shared their memories, including Dr Sara Eames.
Dr Eames remembered his warmth, his humour and his commitment to homeopathy research and treating more patients. She spoke of the legacy he has left in terms of integrative medicine and his belief that homcopathy would ultimately achieve greater acceptance because of the patients, such is the worldwide demand for the therapy and a more integrative medical approach.
Dr Sosie Kassab, another friend and colleague from the RLHIM, gave the reading from Ecclesiastes 3 verses 1-8, which reflects on the balanced, cyclical nature of life and how there is a proper time for everything.
It includes the words, "A time to weep. and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance", conflicting emotions that many at the service must have felt as they celebrated the life of a man whose death had left them with such a deep sense of loss.
Homcopath, scientist and teacher, Dr Fisher was all these things but most of all he was a doctor whose principal aim in life was to relieve suffering and heal the sick. So it was fitting that one of his patients recounted how twenty years earlier she had been desperately ill and referred into Dr Fisher's care. It was, she said, because of his skill, knowledge and compassion that she has been able to enjoy a life that her illness would have otherwise denied her.
The idea that the departed live on through the memories and love of those who remain, was movingly conveyed by actress and close friend Diana Quick, when she recited the poem So Many Different Lengths of Time by the English poet Brian Patten.
A man lives for as long as we carry him inside us, for as long as we carry the harvest of his dreams, for as long as we ourselves live, holding memories in common, a man lives.
While all who knew Dr Fisher through his work as a doctor and homeopath were devastated by his death, their grief pales in comparison to that still being felt by his daughters, Evie and Lily. In an emotional tribute they lovingly described life with their father: his eccentricities, sense of humour, his love of animals, memorable family events and travelling on journeys on which they accompanied him.
Music for the service was provided by The Massive Violins - a cello group including Dr Saul Berkovitz, clinical director of the RLHIM - accompanied by the St Martin's Voices' Choir and organist Ben Giddens. Together they played pieces that reflected Dr Fisher's eclectic musical tastes, ranging from In Paradisum from Faure's Requiem and more recent compositions including Van Morrison's Moondance and All You Need is Love by Lennon and McCartney.
It's almost a year since Dr Fisher died. His loss to the Faculty and the wider homeopathic community has inevitably left a huge void. But those who remain and hold "memories in common" are continuing the work to which he dedicated his life and are determined to bring about the "harvest of his dreams".
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