A loved one's grave is a special place, and many people find comfort in tending to the grave as an act of care and respect. We encourage this, and only ask that when caring for your grave you do so within your grave area only, and respect the regulations of your grave type.
Home Births, deaths, and marriages Cemeteries and crematorium Grave personalisation
Headstones and grave personalisation
Headstones
You may want to have a headstone installed. Headstones can be installed or repaired in any of our cemeteries, but your chosen stonemason must be registered with one of two professional organisations: National Association of Memorial Masons or British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons. Your chosen stonemason can make sure the memorial meets the requirements for your grave type, and make the application.
Headstone safety
A grave owner is legally responsible for repairs and maintenance, but often the owner cannot be traced or is unwilling to carry out repairs. We have a duty of care to both cemetery visitors and our employees, so we must consider the risks of insecure headstones.
All headstones will be tested for safety and security a maximum of every 5 years.
If a headstone poses an immediate safety risk, we have the legal right to lay the headstone securely across the grave.
If a headstone has not been installed correctly, we have the legal right to remove the headstone. The registered grave owner will be charged for any costs involved in doing this.
Graves
You may want to personalise your grave area, for example with flowers or small ornaments. If you'd like to do this, please make sure you follow the guidance. Your items may be removed without warning if you do not follow the guidelines.
Lawn graves
Items must only be placed in the headstone area, and must not encroach on the lawn/grass area. This is to help us with cemetery maintenance.
Traditional graves
Items must only be placed within the kerb set of the grave (7ft by 3ft for adults). You cannot place items outside of the kerb set. This is to help us with cemetery maintenance.
Woodland or meadowland graves
To support the environment and biodiversity, items cannot be placed on woodland or meadowland graves.