Review of Memorials at Chilterns Crematorium

Review of Memorials at Chilterns Crematorium
Summary of existing memorials, with illustrations
Rose beds: - numerous rose beds have been planted throughout the Garden of Remembrance and a
commemorative plaque can be fixed to the kerbing surrounding one of these. Cremation ashes can be scattered
in the woodland nearest to the rose bed on which the plaque is fixed. The initial dedication is for a three or five
year period. At the end of the period, for a fee, it can be extended for a further three or five years, and there is
no limit to the number of times the period can be renewed in this way.
In 2012-13 the total number of plaques was 2,599 (the number peaked in 2001-02 at 3,129 plaques). The cost
of a new plaque is £10.00 and the current lease fee is £21.78 per year for either 3 or 5 years.
Stone memorials: - a specific area of the Garden of Remembrance at the Crematorium has been developed as a
site for the stone memorial plaques. The memorials are made from sandstone or black or grey granite, come in
two different sizes and include a flower vase. They are fixed along the edge of pathways meandering through
the garden. The dedication period for stone memorial plaques is five or ten years and, as with the rose bed
plaques, this period can be renewed, for a fee, as often as relatives may wish.
This is currently the most ‘personalized’ form of commemoration available at Chilterns as cremation ashes can
be scattered on the grass behind the memorial and flowers placed on it.
Stone plaques are available for purchase from the Crematorium or alternatively they can be purchased from a
monumental mason.
In 2012-13 the total number of plaques was 726 (in 2011-12 there were 730). Prices currently range from
£408.84 to £946.86 according to size and content and the current lease fee is £23.88 per year for either 5 or 10
years.
Leather plaques: - these dark blue leather plaques, lettered in gold, are displayed in oak frames on the walls in
the Chapel of Remembrance.
The initial dedication period is for three or five years and, as with the other types of memorial plaques, this
period can, for a fee, be renewed any number of times.
In 2012-13 the total number of plaques was 265 (the number peaked in 2010-11 at 283 plaques). The cost of a
new plaque is £27.00 and the current lease fee is £21.78 per year for either 3 or 5 years.
Book of Remembrance: - the Books of Remembrance are displayed in the Chapel of Remembrance to
provide a lasting record and dignified memorial.
The Book, in four volumes, contains leaves composed of the finest parchment, bound in blue Cape
Levant leather and richly tooled in gold leaf, the front cover design echoing the form and pattern of the
wild flowers of the Chiltern Hills.
The memorial entries are carefully executed by highly skilled artists and inscribed, usually under the
date of death. Prices range from £38.58 for a two line entry up to £193.20 for an eight line entry with
a full coat of arms. Two pages are allocated to each day of the year, and the Book is displayed open at
the day’s date, in a protective glass case, so that the entries may be seen on each anniversary.
Handmade reproductions of the memorial inscription, as it appears in the Book of Remembrance, are
available on a folded Remembrance Cards or in a miniature Book of Remembrance. They are
particularly suitable as a personal keepsake, or for sending to those who cannot easily visit the
Crematorium.
Entries in the Book of Remembrance can also be viewed on a touch screen computer in the Chapel of
Remembrance or on the Crematorium website at any time after the first anniversary of the date of
entry.
Memorial Seats: - the memorial seats are discreetly placed alongside the paths and on the edge of the
woods in the Garden of Remembrance and are limited in number. Prices range from £276.54 for a
plaque on an existing seat leased for 5 years up to £1,139.10 for a new bench with a plaque leased for
10 years. Seats only become available occasionally, and there is a waiting list.
Donations: - every year the Crematorium buys bedding plants, bulbs, trees, shrubs and flowering
plants. Donations are used to enhance horticultural features in the Garden of Remembrance, and will
not be applied to any other purpose.
Memorial statistics
2011-2012
Scheme
Rose-beds
Stones
Leather
Book of Rem
Total
No. sold
94
34
19
357
Gross income
£41769
£28182
£6222
£33495
£109,668
Cost of supplies
£1290
£3490
£591
£13328
£18,699
Net income
£40479
£24692
£5631
£20167
£90,969
2012-2013
Scheme
Rose-beds
Stones
Leather
Book of Rem
Total
No. sold
65
16
8
325
Gross income
£45716
£21186
£5671
£31285
£103,858
Cost of supplies
£1340
£4661
£368
£13356
£19,725
Net income
£44376
£16525
£5303
£17929
£84,133
Percentage increase/decrease 2007-2012
Scheme
% increase/decrease
Rose beds
-9.06
Stones
+19.49
Leather
+3.36
Book of Rem
-25.43
Donations
+5.57
Proposed replacement scheme for the rose beds
The current scheme
There are currently 16 rose beds with approximately 2,600 plaques fixed to concrete kerbing
surrounding each bed. For many years rabbits have been a problem, but the temporary low wire fence
erected in spring around each bed has been effective in keeping the damage to a minimum.
The same cannot be said concerning the increasing problem with deer. As reported to previous Joint
Committee meetings, it is not practicable either aesthetically or financially to prevent deer getting into
the grounds, or to successfully control them by culling, and the level of damage now being experienced
precludes growing roses any longer.
In any event, deer are the ‘last straw’ rather than the only issue concerning the roses. Ideally they
should never have been planted in the first place – the soil is thin and poor and the opposite of what
roses need to thrive in. Roses also need plenty of sunlight and a woodland setting is not a good place.
As the trees have grown they have cast more shade and their roots have invaded the soil in the beds
which has all had an increasingly detrimental affect on the health of the roses as well as, to some
extent, the stability of the kerbing on which the plaques are fixed. In any event the concrete kerbing
itself is not attractive and could be described as being ‘of its age,’ commonly associated with 1970’s
municipal establishments.
Proposed replacement scheme
A key issue in considering what to do with the scheme is the level of income it still generates even in
its delapidated state and the fact that it displays 2,600 memorial plaques, some of which commemorate
people cremated here when the Crematorium first opened. One option would be to close the scheme
down by phasing it out over the next 5 years as the existing leases expire, but as well as the financial
loss this might also cause reputational loss – there are no ashes (officially) scattered in the rose beds
themselves but the ashes of many of those commemorated have been scattered in the woodland nearby.
Another option is to replace the roses with shrubs which are suitable to grow in the Crematorium i.e. in
a woodland setting and unattractive to deer, but this would not overcome the problem of the outdated
kerbing or the fact that shrubs would tend to grow over the kerbing and conceal the plaques.
When visiting other crematoria the officers viewed a scheme with plaques fixed on wooden posts. The
memorial was next to lawn areas where the cremation ashes are scattered but it could also be used in a
new shrubbery scheme to replace the rose beds.
The photographs below show a mock-up which gives an indication of how the wooden posts with
plaques on them would look in a shrubbery.
As well as being more in keeping with the woodland setting than the existing concrete kerbs it also
means that the plaques would stay cleaner than they do at bed level where they are currently subject to
being covered in general debris from the top of the beds, moss and algae growth, etc.
If a new scheme with wooden posts was approved then before any work is carried out lease holders on
the first/next beds to be converted would be contacted by letter, and notices would also be fixed to the
affected beds, giving details of the proposed works and the reasons for the change. Those who objected
would be given the option of having their plaque transferred to the kerbing on a neighbouring rose bed
until the lease expired.
At the same time all lease renewal invitations would include details of the proposed forthcoming
changes and a photograph of how it would look. Those who objected would again have the option not
to renew the lease for a further period meaning as time went on less and less plaques would have to be
transferred to neighbouring rose bed kerbing (because effectively those renewing the lease would have
agreed to the plaque being transferred to a post in a new shrubbery). Eventually, at the end of five
years, all the old kerbing and roses would have been removed.
Should members approve this proposal then the intention is that the grounds maintenance team will
implement it over five years, converting three beds each year at a direct cost of approximately £400 per
bed (the cost of the posts and shrubs).
Issues to consider relating to the introduction of new memorial schemes
Appearance of the garden of remembrance
An important factor to always bear in mind if and when a new memorial scheme is introduced into any
landscape is its impact on the appearance of the garden of remembrance as a whole and whether in
trying to meet the requirements of a minority of people the overall appearance and ambience is spoiled
for the majority. This is particularly pertinent in the informal woodland landscape which makes up
the majority of the garden of remembrance at Chilterns Crematorium, as compared with a more formal
landscape where to some extent (depending on the number involved) memorials can be incorporated
with less impact.
Powers to trade and make a profit
Over the past decade or so some cremation authorities have been challenged on the sale of memorials,
particularly stone memorials. Being aware of this the Superintendent has made enquiries to the head of
the legal section at Chiltern District Council who responded as follows:“The rules on local authority powers to trade with the public can cause difficulty and were
codified in the Local Government Act 2003. As the sale of memorials is discretionary we have
power to make a charge to the public under section 93 but we are subject to “a duty to secure
that, taking one financial year another, the income from charges…… does not exceed the costs
of provision”. In order words we are not allowed to deliberately price the service to make a
profit, taking one year with another. On the other hand we shouldn’t be acting anticompetitively by under-cutting the prices charged by suppliers of memorials in the private
sector. (This latter point applies in particular to local stone masons who can supply and install
stone memorials in the garden of remembrance but may not be able to compete with the charges
made by the Crematorium. There are a limited number of suppliers of the other forms of
commemoration currently provided at the Crematorium). I am sure many other crematoria
provide a similar service making a small profit and provided we act reasonably by not making a
dramatic increase or reduction in our charges, I would have thought this would not attract an
adverse reaction.”
Burial of Ashes
The trend for several decades has been for more and more ashes to be removed from crematoria for
disposal elsewhere rather than in the garden of remembrance. At Chilterns around 25 % of ashes are
being disposed of in the gardens of remembrance compared to around 80% in the 1970s. As
commemoration normally (although not exclusively) takes place in association with the place of
disposal of the ashes this has obviously had an impact on the sale of memorials at crematoria.
The table below shows the situation nationally compared to Chilterns.
Disposal of ashes in
crematoria gardens of
remembrance
Scattered
Interred
Above-ground niches
Total
National statistics
% 2012
Chilterns
Crematorium % 2012
Chilterns
Crematorium % 2013
20.20
6.82
0.32
27.34
26.71
n/a
n/a
26.71
24.69
n/a
n/a
24.69
Of particular note nationally is the percentage of ashes being disposed of by interment as this is often in
association with a memorial and where this is allowed there is usually (depending on the quality of the
scheme) a higher uptake of memorials being purchased. There is little doubt that a significant number
of bereaved people prefer this ‘personal’ association between the specific place of disposal of the ashes
and the memorial – a focal point which they can visit particularly in the early stages of their
bereavement.
However, in common with many crematoria (although the actual number is unknown) at Chilterns this
has never been an option. This is because, from the outset, it was considered to be in conflict with the
founding concept of cremation being a more ‘sustainable’ form of disposal in terms of land use
compared to burial. In theory ashes can be scattered on the surface of the ground ‘indefinitely’ (and the
woodland setting of the Chilterns Crematorium is ideal for this purpose) but if ashes are buried the
available land begins to be ‘used up’.
In addition, once buried cremation ashes are treated as ‘human remains’ and as such cannot be
disturbed without obtaining an exhumation licence. This causes a problem when ashes are buried in
association with a memorial when the lease expires and is not renewed. In theory this releases the
space to be used by another family, but to remove the ashes already buried there involves an
administrative process and a fee. In addition the Ministry of Justice can be reluctant to grant a licence
to exhume ashes just so the space can be used again by someone else.
The following pictures give examples of the types of commemoration which are often associated with
the burial of ashes. Depending on the type, in time they can lead to a relatively cluttered look or the
garden of remembrance can begin to take on a cemetery-like appearance.
Randalls Park, Leatherhead:
The cost of a private family garden – similar to his one - at Kingston Crematorium starts at £600 for 5
years and has a 5 year renewal fee of £250. The lease period is for a maximum period of 75 years for
up to two sets of ashes.
At Worthing the cost of a similar private garden is £3054 for 20 years or £4074 for 50 years.
The Ribbon Garden at Worthing
Prices for the Ribbon Garden plots are £1525 for a 20 year lease or £1830 for a 50 year lease.
Kingston upon Thames – what looks like a cemetery are in fact ashes plots.
South Bristol – ashes plots.
Plots are leased for 30 years for up to two sets of ashes at a cost £1,240. Unless there is a change in the
law this risks becoming ‘dead space’ at the end of the lease period.
Columbaria or above-ground niches
Some of the earliest crematoria included large columbaria where ashes could be stored in a niche sealed
with an engraved memorial stone – or in some of the oldest the casket of ashes was simply placed in a
niche which was left open. These were expensive to build and many of the leases were ‘in perpetuity’
meaning once sold no further income could be generated. However, one of the advantages of this kind
of ‘disposal’ is that because it is above ground an exhumation licence is not needed for the ashes to be
removed at a later date making the space available for someone else. Although this wasn’t an issue at
the time and traditional columbaria are not built today, this type of disposal did however spawn a
variation being above-ground niches. These can either be placed in rows across grassed areas like a
cemetery, along the edge of pathways, or developed into a more formal landscaped area specifically set
aside for commemoration.
Guildford Crematorium above-ground niches – prices start from £975.00.
Baby niches – space for 108 ashes/plaques:
Memorial garden for babies and young children
There is an increasing trend to provide a specific area within the garden of remembrance dedicated to
the commemoration of babies and very young children. These may or may not be associated with the
burial of ashes, niches or their scattering nearby. One thing it is important to note about these areas is
that they often attract a large amount of infant-related paraphernalia e.g. soft toys, windmills, windchimes, ornaments, balloons, etc. which can detract from the immediate surroundings and may be the
cause of complaint by others who have memorials in the vicinity.
Children’s memorial garden at Bedweltry Crematorium in South Wales:
The Baby memorial garden at Randalls Park:
Other memorial for consideration
Planters
96 or 48 Tablet Octagonal Planter from The Columbaria Co
96 tablet planter
Cost = £5160 + VAT
Tablets (6” x 3”) = £40 + VAT
If we charge our current lease fee of
£65.34 for 3 yrs or £108.90 for 5 yrs
the possible income could be
£2090.88 pa
In setting at Southampton Crematorium (with optional mother and baby deer statue on top).
Southampton crem charges:
Tablet (inc. inscription) =
£136.28
Plus:
10 yrs = £240
20 yrs = £420
96 tablets –
£240 x 96 =£23040 (£2304 pa)
£420 x 96 =£40320 (£2016 pa)
Vase Blocks
These could be placed in the existing stone memorial garden on the edges of the pathways and
complement the current stone memorial by providing a less expensive option.
In setting at Guildford.
Vase block charges:Guildford
= 10 yr lease £510.00
Reading
= 10 yr lease £478.80
Southampton = 10 yr lease £258.00
Weymouth
= 10 yr lease £376.00
Wall Plaques
Memorial Wall tablets at Guildford which measure 7” x 5” – available on a 10 year lease for £480.00.
The Chapel of Remembrance at Randalls Park.
The Chapel of Remembrance at Chilterns which could be used.
This is an example of a ‘softer’ area at Randall’s Park which has wall plaques and which could also
include above ground niches.
This shrubbery, close to the chapel of remembrance at Chilterns and with a path running alongside it,
could be a location for a wall plaque scheme combined with above ground niches and could also
incorporate a baby’s memorial area.
No cremation ashes have ever been ‘officially’ scattered in this area, but during the first few years of
the Crematorium opening it was possible to make a donation towards the planting of a shrub and it is
suspected some families then unofficially scattered ashes around them. Consequently it would be
important to retain the topsoil and incorporate it into the planting areas of any new memorial scheme in
this location.
And finally, another possible location for a baby’s memorial garden at Chilterns.