West Ham Cemetery Memorials Flowers and Plants

Information concerning memorials and flowers and plants on graves.

Memorials

The reservee (in effect the 'owner' of the grave) has the responsibility for the maintenance of memorials on the grave.

There are a number of forms of memorial that can be found at the Cemetery. These include headstones or gravestones, large monuments, inclined books, small urns and vases, kerbs around graves, full-length landings on top of graves etc.

Wooden crosses are not permitted in the Cemetery Rules as they are not as durable as stone memorials. Glass containers are also not allowed for safety reasons. Stone or glass chippings cannot be placed on graves unless on a full memorial, this is because they can be hazardous when the grass is being cut.

The type of memorial that can be placed will depend on the area of the cemetery, since ground conditions vary. Memorials should be of stone, although in some areas bronze tablets or plaques are appropriate. All new memorials must be set into appropriate foundations to ensure that they will remain upright and safe.

A permit must be secured from the Cemetery Office before any new memorial is placed on a grave or any repair, refurbishment or alteration of memorials, including additional inscriptions. Varying fees are charged.

Repairs, renovations and alterations should only be undertaken by a competent stonemason. The National Association of Memorial Masons is an organisation that recommends good memorial practice, but not all masons are members. A list of masons who have applied for permits to work in the Cemetery is available from the Cemetery Office.

Memorials are regularly inspected and tested to ensure that they are sound. Where a memorial is unsound and is likely to fall, the Cemetery Staff will lower it to the ground and, as is practical, lay it onto the grave area such that the inscription can be read. A letter will be sent to the reservee indicating that the memorial was either found to be dangerous or that the memorial requires repair.

Where the reservation rights to a grave lapse, or where the grave appears to have been abandoned, the staff may remove damaged memorials, or unsightly parts of memorials for safety reasons or in order to preserve the appearance of the grounds.

Memorials are the property, and responsibility of the reservee. It is possible to insure memorials and the Cemetery encourages reservees to take out such policies.

Flowers and Plants on Graves

Grave reservees are responsible for maintaining the appearance of graves.

The cemetery staff will undertake the planting out of graves on a twice yearly basis for a fee. This work involves cleaning the grave surface before summer and winter planting but does not include general weeding and watering at other times.

Reservees are encouraged to maintain graves and to provide flowering plants or cut flowers. Plants must not exceed the height of the headstone or the width or the length of the grave. Any plant exceeding this will be pruned by the Cemetery Staff. Artificial flowers are not acceptable and will be removed as they discolour over time. Dead, wilted or otherwise unsightly cut flowers will also be removed.

Wood, plastic or metal fences and railings are not acceptable around graves since they can present hazards to the staff when cutting grass and to visitors who may trip. Such items will be removed.

Limited maintenance of graves is possible on a fee basis, the charge depending on the type of maintenance and the type of grave. Generally this is restricted to levelling the grave, resetting kerbs, weeding and placing fresh soil. Request for such work should be made to the Cemetery Officer.

Reservees must be aware that the process of grass cutting, undertaken by the grounds care team may result in grass cuttings left on graves. The nature of the cemetery is such that grass is cut using cord line machines in order to avoid damage to memorials. The use of fixed blade and grass collecting mowers or raking away grass cuttings is not practical due to the size and the nature of the cemetery.