Regulations Governing our Natural Burial Site (Issued January 2022)
Adam & Greenwood Funeral Home LLP is the the company performing the actual burials and which will undertake all the care and maintenance of the burial site until the land available for burials has reached its capacity.
‘HGW’ means ‘Herongate Wood’, the company performing the actual burials, which will undertake all care and maintenance of the burial site until it reaches capacity.
‘WWT’ means ‘The Woodland & Wildlife Trust Company Limited’, which is the company established to undertake the long term care and maintenance of the burial land once it has reached capacity. It is intended to pass the freehold of the burial site from HGW to WWT. A payment will be made from HGW to WWT in respect of every burial so as to provide funding for the long term care of the land.
This is a woodland site and HGW and its staff can accept no responsibility for the safety of visitors. Be especially aware of ‘trip’ hazards. We welcome children to this beautiful place but would remind responsible adults to keep them under close supervision, especially near the large natural pond. Dogs are also welcome but they must always be kept on a short lead and any fouling removed off-site, please.
Following a funeral or service at HGW we try to allow floral tributes, wreaths and other items to remain for as long as possible but please be aware this is normally around 3 to 7 days.
Important Note: In order to allow HGW to develop as natural woodland, only grave plaques, laid flat on graves and supplied by HGW, plus ONE plastic vase for fresh flowers, may be placed on graves. Floral tributes, wreaths and all other items placed on or near graves (except flowers & tributes placed following a funeral, see above) will be removed regularly by staff. Under Health & Safety regulations, stones, shells, pottery & glass will be removed immediately without notice. The same will apply to items we feel are inappropriate in keeping with the cemetery grounds. Balloons can cause damage to both trees & wildlife & are therefore not permitted. Unfortunately all removed items will be disposed of. We can accept no responsibility for any loss or damage suffered to items that are left at the cemetery. Please note: we do not routinely remove the fresh cut flowers placed in the holders or laid directly on the graves ~ please dispose of all flower wrappings and other rubbish at home.
No exhumation of persons or ashes will be permitted, except by Court Order.
Please ensure that all coffins and containers for ashes are of bio-degradable materials. We prefer not to accept bodies for burial that have been embalmed, except in exceptional circumstances and by prior arrangement.
We advise that rings, jewellery and other valuable items or irreplaceable mementoes should be removed and retained within the family and not buried with your loved one.
Plot sizes must not exceed the following:- Single Ashes Plots – 18″ x 18″, Full Burial Plots – 7’4″ x 32″, Memorial Trees – max. 20″ diameter planting around the base of the tree. Plots exceeding the sizes detailed may be corrected without notice.
The planting of young trees on the area used for burials will be undertaken in the dormant season and only by our own staff. As the young trees grow, they may need to be thinned or coppiced in accordance with good woodland management. No person may plant trees or rose bushes or shrubs or interfere with any grave, tree or plant, except with the express permission of the staff of HGW. Please note: inappropriate planting may interfere with the periodic maintenance or topping-up of graves and maybe removed without notice. We do not normally remove the wild flowers (often described as ‘weeds’) that seed naturally onto graves. Hanging or tying items to trees or its branches is not permitted & will be removed with immediate effect.
When visiting or following a funeral you are welcome to stay as long as you wish at the cemetery. However, please be aware that this is a working cemetery and there might be occasions where you may be asked to move away from the graveside so a grave can be completed but you can return once the work has been finished.
You are welcome to return to Herongate Wood whenever you choose but we would ask, if there is another funeral taking place when you visit, that you please treat the newly-bereaved family with consideration, as they may wish to be quiet and private and we would ask you and any companions, particularly children, to respect this.
Dogs are welcome but they must always be kept on a short lead and any fouling removed off-site, please.
On-site car parking is provided during our opening times but neither HGW nor its staff can accept any responsibility for loss or damage, however caused. Please note we have provided Designated Car Parking for disabled visitors. This provision is limited and is strictly reserved for those vehicles displaying a valid Disabled Badge. All other visitors are to use the general car park, please. If the car park is closed you can still visit but you would need to park outside the gates and use the pedestrian access, which is always open.
The granting of burial rights gives the right to a single burial only in each plot, apart from family ashes plots. Any burial rights granted give no further rights over the freehold of the land.
Every burial will be recorded in our Burials Register and will be allocated a unique reference number allocated from our alpha-numeric system. The information will be retained by HGW and passed to WWT in due course. A copy of the Burial Register will be given to the Applicant after interment. Extra copies can be requested.