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Memorials After Burial

After burial a memorial, can be erected at the grave. 

Design of memorials

The memorial must be of natural stone but there are no other restrictions on the design of the memorial, other than considerations for public safety and decency.

Approved stonemasons

You must use a stonemason, also called a monumental mason, from our approved list. Our list is for public protection as the stonemasons on it have:

  • proof of the correct insurance
  • agreed to work within our guidelines for fixing of memorials. 

The stonemason will apply for the memorial on behalf of the registered grant owner. 

We recommend all memorials should be insured against theft, loss or damage. Most monumental masons offer such insurance schemes and are pleased to advise accordingly.

Memorial maintenance

Grant owner responsibilities

The registered grant owner is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the memorial and any other items placed on the grave.

We recommend the grant owner has the stability and condition of the memorial checked on a regular basis. Failure to do so may result in them being held liable for any injury or death caused to a third party if the injury or death is shown to be due to the condition of the memorial or the manner in which it has been installed.

It is also recommended that the memorial inscription should be checked every few years to enable any cleaning or re-lettering work to be carried out if required and hopefully keep the memorial in a manner which will be a fitting tribute to the one(s) you have lost.

Our responsibilities and actions

As part of our duty of care to cemetery visitors we carry out regular safety inspections on memorials. If any memorial is found to present a potential hazard we are duty bound to take action to reduce the risk to visitors. If we find a memorial is unstable and liable to fall then it will be laid down onto the ground to reduce the risk of injury to others.

In all cases we will attempt to contact the grant owner at their last known address to inform them of their reason for taking action.