Churchyard Memorials

When selecting Churchyard Memorials it is important to note the difference between a cemetery and a churchyard.

Cemeteries are burial grounds owned and maintained by a local burial authority or council, whereas a churchyard is defined as the burial ground of a church, whether or not it is immediately adjoining the building.

The Churchyard rules are set to protect the ancient and sacred areas around the church and whilst appearing somewhat stricter than the cemetery rules, they are designed to ensure the survival of these important heritage sites and to allow the future protection of these, often rare green oasis, in our Increasingly urban areas.

Different burial authorities have individual rules and regulations regarding the size, shape, colour and type of materials used for memorials. In general Churchyard Memorials must follow much stricter rules and it is likely that your local diocese will not allow many memorials that would be allowed into a cemetery.

For example, heart shaped memorials or photo plaques will almost certainly not be allowed. Most Church authorities will not allow fully polished granite and will only allow grey granite to be used. It is preferred to use a local stone i.e. Yorkstone or similar limestone which is more likely to blend sympathetically with the fabric of the church building and existing stones.

Most churchyard authorities will welcome imaginative design providing it complies with their overall aims of protecting the heritage of the churchyard and our experienced staff can help you with the design selection and application to the authorities should you wish to commission something special for a churchyard are