Erection of Memorials at Buxton and Hope Cemeteries

Grave and memorial owners have a duty of care to maintain their memorials safely. Ideally, your memorial should be checked at least every five years by a professional memorial mason. The Council will also regularly test memorials for safety and inform you if work is needed.

The Council strongly recommends that you inform the Council of any change of address so that we may contact you if work is required to your memorial.

Any memorial tested and subsequently considered unsafe by the Council must be made safe (this may involve the Council laying the memorial flat if necessary). It must then, without due delay, be repaired professionally by an approved stonemason at the owners expense or it may be removed from the cemetery. The Council has no obligation to maintain any memorial.

All memorials are placed in the cemeteries at the owners risk. This means that any damage or wear and tear that the memorial suffers is the responsibility and obligation of the memorial owner to repair. The Council therefore strongly recommends that the memorial owner insures the memorial against all risks. Your memorial mason or the Council can give you information about memorial insurance.

Applications for the Council’s permission to erect a memorial are usually made via the firm of stonemasons acting on behalf of the grave owner. It is important that these applications accurately quote the grave number concerned and should ideally be submitted prior to the manufacture of the memorial. Erecting any memorial without permission will result in the memorial being removed from the cemetery.

The Council’s requirements relating to memorials are as follows:

  1. Before any memorial is erected it is important to submit an application and the prescribed fee at least 2 weeks before the date of erection and ideally before the date of manufacture. The application must state the size, colour, material, inscription, position of dowelled joints and ground-fixing methods.
  2. The application should include the name, address and telephone number of the memorial owner and the stonemason.
  3. Applications must also be submitted for additional inscriptions, replacement memorials and removal of memorials from the cemetery.
  4. Applications are not required for cleaning, re-erecting and levelling and repair of existing lettering.
  5. Memorials must be made of natural stone (including marble) and must be placed at the head of the grave only.
  6. No new kerbing or stone edging will be permitted in any of our cemeteries.
  7. Memorials must be within the following sizes. The overall height of the memorial must not exceed 3’ 2” for burial plots and 2’ 4” ashes plots.
  8. All new memorials must be erected in accordance with the NAMM Recommended Code of Working Practice.
BURIAL PLOTS ASHES PLOTS
Headstone Maximum Minimum Headstone Maximum
Height 2’9” (840mm) - Height 2’0” (610mm)
Width 2’6” (760mm) - Width 1’6” (460mm)
Thickness 4” (100mm) 3” Thickness 3” (75mm)
Base Maximum   Base Maximum
Width 3’0” (910mm) - Width 2’6” (760mm)
Depth 1’3” (380mm) - Depth 10” (250mm)
Thickness 5” (130mm) 3” Thickness 4” (100mm)
Flat tablet or desk Maximum Base
Length 2’ 0” **The overall height of any memorial measured from ground level must not exceed 3’ 2” for burial plots or 2’ 4” for ashes plots.
Width 2’ 0”
Height (rear) 1’ 0”
Height (front) 3”

Glass and ceramic (pottery) pots and ornaments, all kerbs, fencing, railings or edgings and gravel are not permitted and should never be placed on your grave as they will be removed without notice.

Trees, shrubs and plants (other than spring flowering bulbs) should not be planted on any grave. The Council will remove these plants without notice if they prevent the lawned grave surface being maintained safely.

There may be occasions when a memorial has to be moved so that our cemetery staff may carry out their duties (i.e. grave digging). If we have the memorial owner’s up to date contact details (including a telephone number) we will contact you regarding this. Therefore, it is essential that you inform the Council if you change address or phone number. It is the responsibility of the memorial owner, not the Council, to replace the memorial.