19th March 2024

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Serving the people of Roade

Roade Cemetery

Picture shows the entrance to the cemetery

About our cemetery

Roade Cemetery was established in 1894, the land and access from what is now Manor Close having been donated to the Roade Burial Board by the Grafton Estate, and the first burial, of one Bridget Parish, aged 40, took place on 26th December 1894.

Roade Parish Council erected the new Cemetery Gates in January 2000 in commemoration of the end of the 20th Century and as a celebration of the birth of the 21st Century.

Once through these gates, a short walk along the path brings the visitor to the very pretty little chapel originally built in 1893 and renovated by Roade Parish Council in 1989.

Alongside the chapel another gate leads through to a rather beautiful, quiet place where bereaved families can sit and quietly mourn their loved ones.

Roade Cemetery is home to some very interesting and beautiful Graves Stones. There are of course the traditional Stones and then there are the more unusual ones, such as the "Little Car" or the "Guitarist", there's the "Sun Dial" and the various "Angels" and "Crosses", all of which go to make our Cemetery not only a peaceful place in which to "rest" but of great interest to those just visiting.

Because of the rural setting of this cemetery, we do get rabbits visiting from the neighboring fields. They seem to enjoy some of the flowers left as tributes on graves, and visitors may wish to consider artificial flowers, or using a tall vase. There are also a number of plants which are considered rabbit resistant. These include:

Agapanthus (African Blue Lily)
Alchemilla (Ladies' Mantle)
Anemone
Antirrhinum (Snap Dragon)
Bergenia
Nepeta (Catmint)
Crocosmia
Daffodil
Dahlia
Euphorbia (Spurge)

Foxglove (Digitalis)
Globeflower
Hellebore
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker)
Lily of the Valley
Michaelmas Daisy
Monkshood
Peony Pulmonaria (Lungwort)
Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan)
Sedum
Sweet William

A list of other rabbit resistant plants can be found at:

Cemetery Extension

Works to the cemetery extension are due to commence the week beginning Monday 4th December 2023. We hope to keep disruption to a minimum and can confirm that access to the site will be made via the field off Northampton Road and NOT through Manor Close.

Our contractors will be working weekdays only (Monday to Friday), with no weekend working. They may arrive onsite before 8am, however no machinery will be operated until after 8am. As it gets dark early this time of year, they should be finishing between 4-4.30pm each day.

There will be no work carried out over the Christmas period, they will be finishing at midday on Wednesday 20th December and will re-commence work at 8am on Monday 8th January.

They have estimated eight weeks in total to complete the works, so they are aiming to finish the extension the week commencing 5th February 2024, (please note that this is subject to weather and ground conditions).

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us by either telephoning the office on 01604 861976 or email clerk@roadeparishcouncil.gov.uk

Thank you for your understanding.

Further information about the works including plans can be found https://www.roadeparishcouncil.gov.uk/cemetery-extension

Information for bereaved families and funeral directors.

Please do not hesitate to contact the parish office if you would like any assistance with regards to the cemetery. The cemetery is located on Manor Close in Roade, the postcode for Manor Close is NN7 2PE.

Please note that we are a small parish office and we would need 5 working days notice for an interment.

For the most common forms please click on the links below.

  • Roade Cemetery - Information, Rules & Regulations (PDF, 252 Kb)

    Roade Cemetery Rules & Regulations

  • Cemetery Fees 2023 (PDF, 124 Kb)

    Roade Cemetery Fees from May 2022

  • Application for Exclusive Rights of Burial (PDF, 123 Kb)

    Form to complete for Exclusive Rights of Burial

  • Application for Exclusive Rights of Burial (joint owners) (PDF, 123 Kb)

    Form to complete for Exclusive Rights of Burial when being purchased by more than one owner.

  • Exclusive Rights of Burial leaflet (PDF, 83 Kb)

    Exclusive Right of Burial in Roade Cemetery leaflet to be read when completing the Application for Exclusive Rights of Burial form.

  • Application for Interment (PDF, 129 Kb)

    Form to be completed for an Interment

  • Application for the right to erect a memorial (PDF, 119 Kb)

    Form to complete for the erection of a memorial or additional inscription to an existing memorial.

    Please note: A stone memorial isn't to be erected for 6 months following an interment of either full body or ashes, this is to ensure that the ground has had a chance to level. Wooden crosses are permitted following an interment until a permanent stone memorial can be erected.

    All Monumental Masons working in our cemetery must be BRAMM accredited and ensure that all work complies with British Standards 8415.

    Monumental Masons must have a permit issued to them from Roade Parish Council before erecting any memorial.

    Please note: Should the owner of the exclusive rights of burial for their grave be deceased; a change of ownership will need to be completed prior to any memorial being laid, or additional inscription added to any existing memorial.

    Please contact the Parish Office for further details on how to change the ownership of the exclusive rights of burial. Thank you.

Memorial Inspections

Whilst the maintenance and insurance of a memorial is the responsibility of the owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial the parish council has an obligation under Health and Safety at Work Act and Occupiers Liability Act 1957 to ensure the safety of all visitors to the cemetery and as such must undertake routine testing of memorial safety

Memorial Safety

It is important to remember that whilst we undertake memorial safety checks on a regular basis, by placing a memorial in the cemetery you are accepting a number of responsibilities;

  • The memorial remains the property of its owner/s and does not become the property of the Authority at any time.
  • You are required to maintain your memorial to a safe condition. Regular maintenance by an approved mason is recommended – they will inspect it and professionally carry out any repairs needed. You may wish to discuss and purchase insurance cover for your memorial.
  • As the land owner, Roade Parish Council is obliged to ensure its grounds remain safe places for the public. All memorials over 500mm high are tested and if a memorial fails the test it will require a memorial mason to reinstate it to the industry agreed standard of the day at the expense of the grave owner.
  • A ground anchor system has been used in the majority of memorial fixings since 2000 on memorials over 500mm in height and any older memorial that fails the safety test will be required to be refixed with the ground anchor system used.
  • All work carried out comes with a Certificate of Conformity from the memorial mason. This should ensure that the memorial will not fail the safety test in the future.

Safety in the Cemetery

  • Unfortunately accidents do occasionally occur in cemeteries. One example is where a person uses a nearby memorial as a hand support when tending a grave. Please be aware of this and do not use the memorial in this way.
  • Some sections allow for the placing of kerbs or edgings around the grave. Sometimes these can be difficult to see and cause a trip hazard.
  • Please do not allow children to play in the cemetery or visit without an adult.

Cemetery maintenance and memorials

Staff and contractors are fully aware of the need to maintain the cemetery to a high standard. The majority of this maintenance involves grass cutting by mower and strimmer. Unfortunately strimming grass does cause the cuttings to blow onto the memorials as the staff work. Grass cuttings will not damage the memorial and can be wiped off.

If you believe that grounds maintenance work or grave excavation work has affected your memorial, please contact a member of staff to discuss so that it can be inspected and assessed. Although this may be upsetting for you, please remember that staff and contractors will never intentionally do anything that may cause damage to any memorial.

Memorial Safety Testing in Roade Cemetery

As part of its rolling memorial safety programme Roade Parish Council will begin testing memorials in Roade Cemetery from Wednesday 4th May 2022.

As the landowner, Roade Parish Council is obliged to undertake this work to ensure that its cemetery is a safe place for the public to visit. Under this safety testing programme all memorials over 500mm in height will be tested by trained staff using industry approved testing procedures.

Any memorials found to be unsafe are either: laid flat; secured with a temporary stake; or cordoned off to ensure that they do not present a risk to visitors to the cemetery.

Roade Parish Council does not fix any memorials but can make a memorial safe by digging it into the ground (subject to a fee).

Only British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM) or National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) members can fix memorials in the cemetery.

Roade Parish Council endeavours to carry out this with minimal disruption. However, we would ask that any visitors to the cemetery take note of the warning signs and exercise caution near memorials during this testing.

Last updated: Wed, 29 Nov 2023 09:07