Frequently Asked Questions

Having meet with our Funeral Director, we will provide support and guidance in arranging the Funeral that best celebrates their part in your life. The Service may be held at Herongate Wood, in a different Chapel or a place of worship; the choice is entirely yours and we will make all the arrangements for you, including an Officiant to take the Service.

The funeral service at Herongate Wood is gentle, unhurried and child-friendly. We aim to have no more than two Funeral Services a day. The Hall of Remembrance has 54 chairs with room for around 30 standing. In fine weather, many choose to have the service outside on our paved terrace overlooking our lovely pond. Some families prefer to have a marquee, particularly in unreliable weather or where many guests are expected.

We can often allow time for the family to personalise our Hall of Remembrance before the Service with flowers, photographs etc.; please ask about this at the time of booking the funeral. We can also arrange for your loved one to be placed in the Hall before the Service, giving a few quiet moments for the family and friends to say their private ‘Goodbyes’.

At the end of the Service where a burial has been requested, your loved one is transferred with care and dignity by our pall-bearers, to their final resting place via a traditional, hand-drawn bier for the final committal at the graveside.

Once the committal has been completed, our cemetery staff will complete the burial plot and transfer any floral tributes back onto the plot as appropriate.

Having meet with our Funeral Director, we will provide support and guidance in arranging the Funeral that best celebrates their part in your life. The Service may be held at Herongate Wood, the Crematorium or a place of worship; the choice is entirely yours and we will make all the arrangements for you, including an Officiant to take the Service.

The Funeral Service at Herongate Wood is gentle, unhurried and child-friendly. We aim to have no more than two Funeral Services a day. The Hall of Remembrance has 54 chairs with room for around 30 standing. In fine weather, many choose to have the service outside on our paved terrace overlooking our lovely pond. Some families prefer to have a marquee, particularly in unreliable weather or where many guests are expected.

We can often allow time for the family to personalise our Hall of Remembrance before the Service with flowers, photographs etc.; please ask about this at the time of booking the funeral. We can also arrange for your loved one to be placed in the Hall before the Service, giving a few quiet moments for the family and friends to say their private ‘Goodbyes’.

At the end of the Service, the coffin is gently taken in the hearse for cremation; it is normal for the family not to attend but they can attend if they prefer, it is their choice. The floral tributes will remain at Herongate Wood.  We make arrangements to collect the ashes on behalf of the family and keep them safely within our Funeral Home.

Where circumstances dictate, we have arranged several ‘private’ cremations at the crematorium, without the family being present. This is followed by the full Funeral Service with ashes, which are then laid to rest at Herongate Wood, with all the family present. This ‘back to front’ Service has been particularly useful where, following the unexpected loss of a loved one, family members are unable to gather at short notice for a Funeral Service.

When we arrange a Cremation Funeral, it is usual for us also to book the subsequent burial of ashes.   We will also bury the ashes of a loved one at Herongate Wood, where another Funeral Director has arranged the cremation.

The laying to rest of the ashes of a loved one tends to be a smaller, more intimate ceremony than the Funeral Service that preceded it.  The service is normally conducted at the graveside and attendance is often just close family members.  If a Clergy or another Officiant is not involved in the ashes burial, our Funeral Director will arrange to say a few words of Committal; every Service is different and depends on the wishes of the family.

Where family circumstances dictate, we have arranged a private cremation (without the family being present) and followed this with a full Funeral Service with the ashes, before laying them to rest at Herongate Wood as the final part of the Service.  This arrangement has been particularly useful where family members have been unable to gather at short notice for the Cremation Service, following the unexpected loss of a loved one.

We offer a single or a ‘family’ plot, which will hold up to 4 sets of ashes.  The personal details and reference number of each plot, allocated for the burial of each set of ashes, is entered into our Burial Register, a copy of which is given to every family so that the grave can be easily identified in the future.

Ashes are normally laid to rest in a wooden casket. You are, however, able to select an alternative casket from those that we have on offer. If the actual ashes are not available, you may  wish to use one of the caskets as a ‘Memory Box’  to contain a lock of hair, letters, photographs and similar personal items, which can be buried in an ashes plot so as to provide a focus for ‘closure’.

A personalised granite Plaque is normally prepared in advance of the date arranged for the ashes being laid to rest.  The Plaque is placed flat on the grave plot as the final act of the Committal and will remain there permanently without further cost. (There is no maintenance or renewal cost for these.)

When your loved one passes away, telephone us on 01277 633085, our phones are manned 24 hours, seven days a week. We will bring your loved one into our care as soon as possible from their own home, residential care home or from the Hospital. We will keep them safe in our Funeral Home. We will then help you to arrange the funeral that best celebrates their part in your life; they never leave our care.

We have full viewing facilities at our Chapel of Rest, either at Billericay, Chelmsford or Maldon, whichever is most convenient for the family.

Distance is no problem, although there may be an additional charges; We have collected from a wide area, as far away as Derby and Edinburgh and, in one case, arranged for the repatriation of a young man from New Zealand.

We are fully prepared to allow the family of those who have passed, to arrange personally the laying to rest of their loved one. We will supply a coffin and the family may use all our facilities to prepare the loved one for burial or cremation and caring for them in our Chapel of Rest. We will assist in all the areas necessary, particularly with regard to preserving the dignity of the loved one and the observance of all the legal formalities and Health and Safety issues.

Yes. We would prefer to meet with you at Herongate Wood as this enables us to show you around, helping you make an informed choice. If you wish to arrange a burial, you can then select the plot.

If this is not possible, we are able to visit you at your home to make all the arrangements.

We are also willing to visit you at home to discuss your pre-need requirements, including a pre-paid Funeral Plan.

As the service is normally held inside in the Hall of Remembrance and the Committal at the graveside takes only a few minutes, we would suggest that family and friends come equipped with a change of suitable footwear and waterproofs.

Those who do not wish to be present at the graveside are welcome to remain in our waiting room next to the Hall or, privately, in their cars whilst the burial takes place.

All our burial prices are set out in our Cemetery prices click here for full details.

We do not make an additional charge for burial plots for those families who reside ‘out of area’; our prices are the same for everyone. Click here for more details.

Yes we do accept funerals funded by the Benefits Agency. We can also assist you to complete the various application forms.

Costs inevitably rise but you may avoid the increases in two ways; by pre-booking plots at the current price and/or by taking out a pre-paid Funeral Plan.

Click Here for more information.

It is a legal obligation that we maintain permanent records of the location of every grave; an obligation that we have extended to ashes burials as well as full interments. Graves at Herongate Wood are laid out in a grid pattern. Each group of 36 graves constitutes a ‘plot’ that is discreetly but permanently marked by stainless steel posts, bearing an alpha-numeric code, driven into the ground at the corners of each plot. Each individual grave is also numbered, within its plot.

All details are recorded into our Burial Register, which is signed by a witness to the interment, a copy of which is given to the family after every funeral. We have made arrangements to preserve these records indefinitely.

Families may plant a few spring bulbs on the grave but nothing else, please. We ask your help in maintaining a natural woodland site. The groundsmen can provide a small vase to hold cut flowers and we would ask you please to take home the wrappings and all other non-biodegradable items.

Many families want a tree on their plot, therefore we have identified areas that we can have ‘Avenue’ plots to accommodate such requests. Please note that all graves will eventually be within the bluebell wood and that no grave will be further than 3 metres from a tree.

We wish to make it absolutely clear that we make no charge for the maintenance of graves. There are no ‘hidden’ costs. The groundsmen at Herongate Wood care for the site whilst it functions as a burial ground. Once the burial ground reaches capacity, it will be gifted to the Woodland and Wildlife Trust, which will maintain it forever, using the fund built up from payments made at the time of each burial. We have taken steps to ensure that no grave will ever be re-used or disturbed; those who lie here will ‘Rest in Peace’ in the truest sense of the phrase.

At our burial grounds, we do not have traditional headstones. Instead, most graves have a granite marker, placed flat on the ground, so that nothing interrupts the views across the wood or meadow. Please click here to see our Memorial list for personally worded granite grave plaques and other memorials.

To lie forever in a beautiful wood or meadow must be a comfort to our loved ones left behind. They can visit and sit quietly in the areas set aside for contemplation or stroll through the new woods and meadows, remembering the past, the happy times shared.

Memorial plaques are placed flat on the ground so that nothing interrupts the views. As each new full burial plot is used, a payment is made to The Woodland and Wildlife Trust Company specifically to ensure the maintenance of these green spaces in perpetuity.

Everyone can share in the creation of these lovely sanctuaries. They will remain throughout the centuries for future generations to enjoy.

No,as we are Funeral Directors and offer the full range of facilities for both ‘green’ and traditional funerals; it is your choice. As a family company, we are here to help and guide you through the practicalities of laying a loved one to rest and to support you in your needs. You can come to us direct and we can provide a caring, dignified funeral, incorporating any decisions or arrangements that you choose. It is important to us that every funeral is entirely in accordance with the wishes of the deceased and their relatives.

We provide full Funeral Directors’ Services (including cremation, if required). We will collect your loved one immediately from their own home, residential care home or from the Hospital. We will keep them safe in our Chapel of Rest. Whilst we help you arrange the funeral that best celebrates their part in your life; they never leave our care.

We have full viewing facilities at our Chapel of Rest, either at Billericay, Chelmsford or Maldon, whichever is most convenient for the family.

However, if you want to use Herongate Wood and combine this with the services of another Funeral Directors, we will work seamlessly with them.

We can arrange:

The entire funeral and burial or cremation and/or burial of ashes at Herongate Wood or elsewhere.

Limousines for families, should they be required, although many families usually travel in their own cars.

A Service with the arrangement of an Officiant of your choice, Clergy, Minister, Humanist or just a family friend.  In our Hall of Remembrance or on our paved terrace, with our delightful pond as a backdrop or at the graveside.

A service in a place of worship before or after the interment, although it is more usual to have the service in our Hall of Remembrance at Herongate Wood. The Hall seats 54, with plenty of additional standing room.

The natural beauty of the landscape, with its woods and meadows, is your lasting memorial. Our wood is regularly extended during the dormant season (October to March) by planting young trees across the area where burials have taken place. This encourages the bluebells to spread. We do not charge for planting and tending these trees as we regard the entire wood as the memorial, rather than the individual tree.

If having an individual tree is important to you, please consider a semi-mature standard tree with a personalised name plaque, fully described in ‘memorial items’. You may also enquire about ‘Avenue’ plots where a tree may be planted on the grave of a loved one.

We offer granite grave plaques (300mm square), bearing a personal message and placed flat on the plot as a permanent marker. Please see our price list for personally worded granite grave plaques.

Please click here to be taken to the full range of memorials, including memorial plaques fixed to oak benches, located for visitors to sit quietly and enjoy the views.

We accept and supply a wide range of coffins, including wicker, woven, woollen, colourful and cardboard as well as the more traditional veneers and solid wood coffins.

Yes, ashes of a much loved pet can be placed in your plot at the time of your own burial. Similarly, arrangements can be made for the ashes of a pet that survives its owner to be interred later, in the same plot or you can arrange an additional adjacent plot.

Herongate Wood is part of Adam & Greenwood Funeral Home LLP and is a member of the following Professional bodies and is bound by the various Codes of Practice.

They are:

Association of Natural Burial Grounds (ANBG).
The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF).
National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD).
Association of Green Funeral Directors (AGFD).
The Institute of Cemetery And Crematorium Management (ICCM).