Cemeteries and burials

There are regulations that govern how a memorial should be constructed and maintained. This ensures a sympathetic, considerate and safe way of marking graves. All types of memorial will be considered, however, they must be erected by a qualified memorial mason who is signed up to the council's memorial masons registration rules.

Stone chippings are only allowed within the kerb sections of our cemeteries.

Regulations for memorial headstones permitted in the lawn sections of the county's cemeteries

• A headstone only (without kerbs) not more than 3' 6" in height, 3' in width and 4" in thickness
• Overall memorial, front to back not more than 1' 4"
• Lawn sections will be seeded (within 12 months) and mown by council staff
• Once the grave has been seeded, no plantings or ornaments are permitted on the grave space

Regulations for memorial headstones permitted in the kerb section in Leominster Cemetery

• A headstone with kerbs
• Headstone not more than 3' 6" in height, 3' in width and 4" in thickness
• Kerbs not more than 3' by 7' (including headstone base)
• You can only place stone chippings on this section

Regulations for memorial headstones permitted in the children's sections

• Each grave and adjoining space is to be maintained by families
• A headstone not more than 24" in height or a flat or sloping tablet 18" x 18"
• Tributes must be placed within the grave space with a height restriction of 18"
• If after six months the grave remains unattended, the tributes will be removed and the grave maintained by the council
• The council continues to maintain the pathways and surrounding lawn areas

Regulations for memorial tablets permitted in the cremated remains sections

• A flat tablet or sloping vase tablet with a flower container in the top left-hand corner shall not exceed 18" (460 mm) x 18" (460 mm) and 6" (152 mm) in height
• In Hereford and Leominster cemeteries, tablets are secured within a stone chipping surround and grassed pathways
• In consideration to other families, we request that vases are only placed either side of the tablet in the shared area
• Please do not place any items at the top area between the memorial tablets

We reserve the right to remove any items which do not comply with the above restrictions without notice.

Types of memorials, fees and forms