Plans of Cemeteries
23.0 Plans of Cemeteries
23.1 Plans of the cemeteries showing the situations of private graves are kept at the Cemeteries office any may be inspected, free of charge, during normal office hours.
24.0 Graves and Grave Maintenance
24.1 All new graves in which the exclusive right of burial has been granted will be on the lawn type principle (except for graves located on the traditional grave sections within Landican and Frankby Cemeteries). When a coffin has been placed in a grave, the grave will be back filled at the earliest opportunity and will be levelled after an appropriate period to allow for subsidence of earth.
24.2 Following an interment on lawn graves the placing of any vase, flowers, plants or other form of floral tribute should be confined to the 18” earth border at the head of the grave.
24.3 Lawn type graves will be levelled; and turfed or seeded by the Council during the appropriate season, a reasonable time being allowed to elapse so that the ground may be in a suitable condition normally 6 months.
24.4 The Council will maintain the lawn of each grave space at no cost to the owner.
24.5 No person other than duly authorised officers of the Council shall alter any earth border or turfed area of the cemetery.
24.6 The Council reserve the right to prune, cut down or dig up and remove any shrubs, plants or flowers whenever in their opinion the same have become unsightly or overgrown or if:
i. The nature of the planting makes if difficult to maintain adjoining graves
ii. It is necessary to cover the grave with soil from an adjoining grave during grave digging operations.
24.7 Only flower vases or containers recognized as standard receptacles for flowers and considered suitable shall be placed on any grave. Any receptacle must be placed in such a manner as to preserve the tidy appearance of the grave. Any receptacle placed in contravention of this regulation may be removed. The Registrar shall be authorised to remove from graves any broken or unsightly flower holders or vases and any dead flowers, plants, wreaths or other forms of floral tributes.
24.8 Persons weeding or planting graves must convey all rubbish arising there from to a place provided for the deposit of rubbish.
24.9 Nothing whatsoever shall be placed or erected upon or about the lawned area of any grave space.
25.0 Memorials
25.1 No memorials will be allowed on any grave which the exclusive right of burial has not been purchased except in an unpurchased grave the Council may at their own discretion, and without prejudice, provide such identification mark as they consider adequate or may, at the request of an appointed representative, allow an anonymous memorial to be erected subject to the existing Rules and Regulations applying to memorials.
25.2 An application on the form provided by the Council must be submitted to and approved by the Registrar before any memorial may be erected or any subsequent inscription cut. No memorial will be admitted into a cemetery without the approval of the Council and until all necessary fees and charges have been paid.
25.3 The Council shall have power to remove, at the expense of the Owner, any memorial which has been placed in a cemetery without the necessary authority and reserves the right to refuse any inscription which, in their opinion, is improper or undesirable. Where such as inscription has been cut without the prior approval of the Council, the owner of the exclusive right of burial shall on being ordered by the Council, arrange for the inscription to be erased at his/her own expense and in a proper and workmanlike manner so that the appearance of the memorial is not impaired.
25.4 The Council will not grant permission for any memorial that is constructed of artificial stone, reconstituted stone, concrete, plastic, wood, metal or any other material that will not stand prolonged exposure to weather without deterioration of its appearance.
25.5 Permanent memorials must be natural stone, such as granite, marble or other approved material and of approved design. Memorials must not exceed 1200mm (4’0”) in height, 900mm (3’0”) in width and 375mm (1’3”) in depth, memorials exceeding 750mm (2’6”) in height and/or 600mm (2’0”) in width must be at least 75mm (3”) in thickness. The height of a memorial will be determined from ground level. The width of a memorial covering more than one grave space must not exceed the total width of the grave spaces less 450mm (1’6”).
25.6 The number of the grave corresponding with the Grave Register must, and the name of the monumental mason may, be cut in small lettering at the side or rear of the memorial and in no other place.
25.7 All memorials are to be fixed in line with adjoining memorials and in accordance with the instructions of the registrar.
25.8 All memorials shall be required to have a satisfactory foundation and all new foundations shall be provided by the Council.
25.9 On a lawn type grave any memorial vase or vases must be incorporated in the base of the memorial or placed in the 18” earth border. If not part of the memorial the vase(s) must not exceed 300mm (1’0”0 in any dimension).
25.10 Footstones, kerb and border stones or other structures enclosing graves or parts of graves, flags or chippings, metal, wooden or plastic railings or chains are not allowed on any grave, The owner of a grave may enter into an agreement with the Council for the removal of any such existing articles for the subsequent levelling and turfing flat of a grave without cost to the owner. The Registrar will allow the introduction of 18” stonemason kerbs ONLY to be introduced under license, an introduction cost will be applied through the stonemason the only exception is Frankby and Grange Cemetery where no kerbs are to be allowed except on traditional graves.
25.11 The owner of the exclusive right of burial in a grave is responsible for the removal and re-fixing of an existing memorial and, if necessary, its foundation, in connection with an interment.
25.12 All memorials admitted to any of the Council’s cemeteries or permitted to be erected shall remain at the sole risk of the owner and the Council shall not be responsible for any damage or breakage which may occur to any memorial except where any such damage is directly attributable to the negligence of the Council or their servants.
25.13 Persons erecting memorials shall take all necessary precautions to protect the grass, trees, plants, walls and neighboring graves from damage during the progress of the work and on completion shall clean the whole of the area of any materials or rubbish which may have been deposited as a result of the work. Any damage caused shall be made good at their own expense.
25.14 All work in connection with the fixing or restoration of monuments or other memorials must be carried out during the normal working hours of the cemetery staff and no memorials shall be fixed on a Saturday, Sunday, Bank or Public holidays, when the cemeteries are closed for interments.
25.15 All memorials must be prepared ready for fixing before being admitted into the cemeteries.
25.16 No work in connection with any memorial shall be started on any grave without first notifying and obtaining the instructions of the Registrar.
25.17 In the case of any departure from the approved design for which application has been made, the monumental mason concerned shall, at his own expense and to the satisfaction of the Council, carry out any work necessary to make the memorial comply with the approved design.
25.18 All memorials shall be kept in a good state of repair by the owners. Notice will be sent to the owners or their representatives in case of such repairs being required and if not executed within three (3) months the Council may cause the memorial to be removed.
25.19 The Council reserve the right to lower or remove from any grave or graves any memorial or part of a memorial that is in an unsafe condition or, in the opinion of the Registrar, is likely to be potentially dangerous to any person in the cemetery. Where this action is taken the Registrar will, as far as is practicable, advise the grave owner.
25.20 In addition to the foregoing Rules and Regulations the following shall apply at Frankby Cemetery:-
No memorials other than flat stones sunk 20mm (3/4”) below ground level shall be permitted on the lawn plots shown on the plan of the Cemetery and set apart as a Garden of Rest.
No memorial or stone other than the stone provided by the Council shall be permitted in the area reserved exclusively for the burial of cremated remains but the owner may at his own expense provide and affix to the stone provided by the Council a bronze plate, to the Council’s specification, which shall not bear any inscription other than the names of the person or persons whose cremated remains are buried in the grave, together with the date of dates of death. The plate shall bear the number of the grave corresponding with the Grave Book. Not more than one plate will be permitted on a stone.
26.0 Speed Limit
26.1 A speed limit of 10mph (16 kmph) shall apply to all vehicles in the Cemeteries.
26.2 No person shall drive any vehicle, motor cycle or cycle recklessly or in such a way as to cause injury to any person or damage to any memorial, plants or other fixtures on any grave or to any property belonging to the Council or any persons carrying out work on behalf of the Council.
27.0 These Rules and Regulations were approved by the Council of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral at its meeting held on Monday 16th July 1990 and shall come into operation on the 1st August 1990.
28.0 The Council reserve the right from time to time to make any alterations or additions to the foregoing Rules and Regulations.