Cemeteries and burials - Print version

Coventry cemeteries

Coventry Bereavement Services administers six cemeteries on behalf of Coventry City Council.

These are:

• Canley Garden cemetery and crematorium [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/42295/canley-garden-cemetery-and-crematorium]
• Lentons Lane cemetery [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/42296/lentons-lane-cemetery]
• London Road cemetery [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/42297/london-road-cemetery]
• St Paul's cemetery [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/42298/st-paul-s-cemetery]
• Walsgrave cemetery [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/42299/walsgrave-cemetery]
• Windmill Road cemetery [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/42300/windmill-road-cemetery]

All general enquiries are processed via the main administration centre located at The Lodge, Canley Cemetery & Crematorium.

Office hours are 8.30am - 5pm Monday - Thursday and 8.30am -4.30pm Friday. Reception facilities are available Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm.

General cemetery costs [/info/160/deaths/1019/cemetery_fees_and_charges] are also available.

Burials

If you choose a burial, we can only offer new grave spaces at Canley Garden Cemetery and Lentons Lane Cemetery. Only lawn type graves are available at Canley Garden Cemetery. You have a choice of the different types of graves available at Lentons Lane cemetery including 'Lawn Sections' (headstones only), Woodland Burial (no memorialisation is permitted), Wild Flower Meadow Burial (wooden grave marker is permitted) or 'Kerb Sections' (headstone and/or kerb sets). It is very important that you let us know which you prefer prior to the burial service taking place.

You may wish to visit the cemetery before you make this decision to get a better understanding of different types of memorials available.

Exclusive rights of burial

If your family already own the Exclusive Rights of Burial for a grave, and you can produce either the Deed of Exclusive Rights of Burial and can evidence that you are the proper person to have the Burial Rights, then we can make arrangements for an interment to take place. We will need information about the grave and those buried in it. You may also have to sign a document that protects us if there is a problem about ownership or use of the Burial Rights.

If the grave is classified as full (no room for another coffin), then you may wish to bury cremated remains.

Soon after the funeral has taken place we will write to the owner of the Exclusive Rights of Burial with further information, advice and in the case of a new grave the Deed of Exclusive Rights of Burial.

The Exclusive Right of Burial is granted to the person named on the Deed or Grant. Only this person is allowed to have work carried out to the grave or its memorial.

We should be told of any changes to the information given on the Deed so we can update our records. This is especially important if the name or address is changed. The Cemetery fees are included on the Deed for your information and will have been dealt with by your Funeral Director.

Graves

Purchasing a grave

Normally, your funeral director will help to make the arrangements to purchase a grave. Some families might wish to make their own arrangements. You can contact us directly and we will be happy to help you.

We offer four different types of grave:

1. Traditional grave / kerb [#1]
2. lawn (headstone memorial) [#2]
3. woodland [#3]
4. wildflower meadow [#4]

The Exclusive Right of Burial is bought for a 75 year period. These are known as 'purchased graves'.

Traditional grave / kerb

These allow the owner of the grave to put a full headstone and a full kerb the length of the grave on the plot after burial. The purchase of a new kerb grave is only available at Lenton's Lane Cemetery.

All memorials have to be fixed in line with the recommendations of NAMM [http://www.namm.org.uk/] (the National Association of Memorial Masons).

Lawn-type graves

We will maintain lawned areas, at no expense to the grave owner.

After the burial (approximately 9-12 months), the grave is made level and the lawn reinstated, a headstone can be placed at the top of the grave.

So that we can maintain these areas, nothing else is allowed to be placed or grown on or around the grave and the area in front of the headstone is grassed over.

The purchase of a new lawn grave is available at Canley Garden Cemetery and Lentons Lane Cemetery.

Woodland

A grave can be selected in the woodland area of Lentons Lane Cemetery, this is also known as 'a green burial'. If you select a woodland burial the grave supplied will only be suitable for one interment only. As the grave is located in the woodland area amongst the established trees for memorialisation you are not permitted to erect a headstone or kerbs of any sort.

Wildflower meadow

A grave can be selected in the wildflower meadow area of Lentons Lane Cemetery. If you select a wildflower meadow burial the grave supplied will be suitable for one or two interments if preferred. As the grave is located in the meadow area amongst the season meadow flowers for memorialisation you are not permitted to erect a headstone or kerbs of any sort, however, you may erect a wooden grave marker with a nameplate.

Unpurchased grave

An unpurchased grave is where the right to burial cannot be bought and we have total control of the grave. There are no memorial rights on unpurchased graves so no headstone or other memorial can be put up.

Purchased grave

A purchased grave is where the Exclusive Right of Burial can be bought for a period of 75 years. The owner of the right of burial can decide who will be buried in the grave and memorials are allowed in line with our cemetery regulations.

Provision of a grave for children under the age of 16 years

Coventry Bereavement Services do not charge for the provision of a grave for a child under the age of 16 years.

Temporary grave markers

You may wish to place a temporary marker on the grave after a burial has taken place. Your Funeral Director will be able to provide a marker and advise you of the cost directly. It can remain in place for up to 12 months (or until a more permanent memorial is put up).

Memorials

Lawn type

Lawn type (headstone)

Headstone

Maximum dimensions:

• Height including foundation slab: 3'6" / 42 inches / 106.5cm
• Width including any mini kerb added: 3'6" / 42 inches / 106.5cm
• Length including any mini kerb or planting area 1'10" / 22 inches / 56cm
• Thickness of stone 6 inches / 15.2cm

No memorials will be passed for fitting which exceed these dimensions.

Cremation plots and children's headstones

Lawn type memorial with a mini kerb

Maximum dimensions:

• Height including foundation slab 2'3" / 27 inches / 68.5cm
• Width including any mini kerbs 2'6" / 30 inches
• Length including mini kerb or planting area 1'6" / 18 inches / 46cm
• Thickness of stone 6 inches / 15.2cm

No memorials will be passed for fitting which exceed these dimensions.

Traditional type memorial / kerb memorial

Headstone with kerbs

Headstone with kerbs

Maximum dimensions:

• Height including foundation slab 3'6" / 42 inches / 106.5cm
• Width including foundation 3' 0" / 36 inches / 91.5cm
• Length including foundation 6'6" / 78 inches / 198cm
• Thickness of stone 6" / 15.2cm

No memorials will be passed for fitting which exceed these dimensions.

Children's kerb memorial at Canley and Lenton's Lane cemetery

Maximum dimensions:

• Height including foundation slab 2'3" / 27 inches / 68.5cm
• Width including foundation 2'0" / 24 inches / 61cm
• Length including foundation 3'0" / 36 inches / 91.5cm
• Thickness of stone 6" / 15.2cm

No memorials will be passed for fitting which exceed these dimensions.

Children's kerb memorial at Walgrave cemetery

Maximum dimensions:

• Height including foundation slab 2'3" / 27 inches / 68.5cm
• Width including foundation 2'0" / 24 inches / 61cm
• Length including foundation 3'9" / 45 inches / 61cm

No memorials will be passed for fitting which exceed these dimensions.

Kerb sets

Full traditional kerb sets are not allowed on the lawn area at any of our cemeteries, except in the memorial border next to your headstone. These kerb sets must not go over onto the next grave space, so the overall size must be no more than 42 inches wide and 22 inches deep for ordinary graves.

On a Cremated Remains Section the size must not be more than 30" x 18" overall. ( 1060 x 560 and 760 x 460 metric).

Any grave prepared at your request on the Traditional section cannot be maintained at the same frequency as those on lawn sections. Full Kerb sets are generally allowed on the understanding that families plan to maintain the graves themselves, this might include weeding the centres and grass cutting.

Advice on choosing a memorial and the type allowed, is available from us or the National Association of Monumental Masons at Castle Mews, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 2XL.

Landscaping

After a burial there will be an amount of ground settlement of soil, if this has not been noticed by our staff, please let us know so work can be carried out. About 9 - 12 months after interment, weather permitting we will start to reinstate the grave/section. This work includes reseeding the lawn areas and the inclusion of a memorial border which may be planted if you wish.

Floral tributes

Generally, floral tributes are not removed from graves until they become untidy. This delay allows families to remove tribute cards or wreath bases which can be recycled. If you want to remove them yourself, please use the waste bins provided or call our office and we can do the work for you and answer any other questions you may have.

Planting borders

We do not recommend you plant anything in the headstone borders. Do not plant conifer shrubs on any occasion in the memorial border. Conifer trees can grow very large and can cause problems at such times as the grave needs to be reopened for an interment.

If you have a grave in the lawned section, please help us keep the area tidy and easy for all visitors to access by following some guidelines.

• Graves with a headstone – you can add planting or mini kerbs to a maximum width of 3’6” and a maximum length of 1’10"
• Cremation and child graves – you can add planting or mini kerbs to a maximum width of 2’6” and a maximum length of 1’6”

Unauthorised memorialisation on lawn graves

Lawn type memorials [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/36996/cemetery_lawn_sections_and_permitted_memorial_sizes] are also known as headstones, a lawn type grave will have a headstone located at the top of the grave with the rest of the plot being covered by grass. These types of sections are regularly mowed by Bereavement Services Officers as part of the overall grounds maintenance programme. There are restrictions as to the height, width and length of a memorial to ensure it is possible for the maintenance to be carried out effectively on lawn sections.

Unauthorised memorialisation

Unauthorised memorials/memorabilia is anything that is located outside of the permitted area and can range from windmills, chimes, pots, planting, trees, ornaments, solar lights and homemade kerbs running the full length of the grave.

Communication

Bereavement Services will write to the owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial to advise them if the memorialisation located on their lawn type grave exceeds the specified area. Time will be permitted for the items to be moved by the family directly or they may wish for us to undertake this activity on their behalf. If attempts to contact the grave owner fail and we have to remove the unauthorised memorialisation/items ourselves we will hold the items in safe keeping for up to 1 month pending collection by family members.

If you have any concerns regarding unauthorised memorialisation on graves or need further help or assistance please contact Bereavement Services.