Churchyard and cemetery memorial regulations and rules can be complicated. Even with Church of England Regulations there can be variances between different Churchyards, and every local authority cemetery will have its own set of rules that need to be followed when choosing a memorial.
As a general rule of thumb, only more natural looking stones are permitted in a Churchyard. Coloured granites or stones with a mirror polish are definitely not allowed. However this does still leave a range of beautiful stones from which to choose from the very dark blue/black Welsh slate to the much lighter Portland or Purbeck stones. Although historically kerbs may have been permitted in some churchyard unfortunately current regulations no longer allow this option.
Churchyard regulations will only allow inscriptions on certain stones, such as light grey granite to be painted. Others need to be left incised only, and no new memorials can have lead work although this is still allowed for additional inscriptions. Gold and silver lettering are only permitted in cemeteries.
Cemetery rules will usually permit a much wider range of stones and styles of memorial to choose from. Unless the memorial is specifically for what is known as a ‘lawn’ area of a cemetery, when only a headstone and base would be permitted, kerb sets, books, crosses can all be considered as possible options. 
Whether you are looking for a memorial for a churchyard or cemetery we can guide and advise you so that the memorial you choose for a loved one is both individual and sympathetic to the environment where it is to be situated.
Call us, or come and visit our showroom where we can show you samples of stones to consider and talk you through what is and isn’t allowed in the cemetery or churchyard where the memorial is to go.
