Flower Vase

If you are likely to place fresh flowers on the grave regularly, we can include a vase in the headstone base. (Although shown below in gold, the top will be coloured to match the inscription.) Vases are less popular now as many prefer to place pot plants / planters on a grave as they last longer than cut flowers. (+£20 each)

• If you choose an Ogee Base- there is only room for a centre vase. 
• If you choose a Splayed Base- you can't have a centre vase.

Click SAVE to take a break, get emailed a link & return later. (skip account setup) 
 NEXT: Choose the inscription...

Headstone epitaphs traditionally use formal "Proper Case" with every word in Leading Capitals (including articles, prepositions and conjunctions). The more widely used, but less formal "Title Case", (which also uses Leading Capitals, but excludes articles, prepositions and conjunctions), is never used on a memorial.

NOTE: We would advise that you only use a secondary font when Times is the Primary Font.

Graphics / Emblems

Emblems may be limited to service badges. (If unsure, please contact the Council / church / cemetery operator to check what is permitted as the rules can differ.) We can add a graphic or emblem to the headstone either in full colour or matching the inscription colour. These are usually placed to the left of the inscription to signify the link to the deceased.

Ceramic Photo

We can add a photo of the deceased to the headstone. Usually in a 9cm x 12cm Oval, these are normally placed to the left of the inscription, allowing future inscriptions to also have photos added beside them. It is important to supply a high a quality photograph as we print directly from it onto the ceramic at 600dpi. A physical photo can be brought to your nearest branch for us to scan, or a high-definition digital photo (minimum 300dpi) can be emailed to us. Note: social media and online photos are generally only 72dpi and although they look good on screen, are not of good enough quality to print from.

Price: £80 (includes VAT & fitting to the headstone.) 

Ceramic Flowers

We have a selection of delicate handmade ceramic flowers which can sit in the vase when no fresh flowers have been placed on the grave. These are individually made for us exclusively by a local ceramicist. As each one is unique, with different flowers and colours, you would need to view these to pick one you like. You can see the selection at our Newtownards Branch when dropping off signed paperwork. Price: £65 each (includes VAT)

Grave Surfacing & Gravel

If the grave has a surround and the interior is surfaced, the Council will charge more to open the grave if cutting through concrete is required. Re-concreting cannot take place until a MINIMUM of 6-8 months after a burial to allow the grave to settle. If surfacing a grave for the first time, we would advise waiting until after the grave is full, with no further interments. 

Often once concreted, a grave will have some form of gravel / chipping added as a decorative topping. Grey granite chippings are the most popular choice although white quartz chippings are also commonly used. (The disadvatage with white quartz is they are double the price of grey granite and tend to go green over time faster than the grey granite.)

Gravel / chippings are usually supplied in 5kg bags and a single grave will require 5 bags, with a double grave usually needing 12 bags to ensure adequate coverage. 

We can have this work done, please contact us for details. 

Grave Surround / Full Surround

A grave surround marks the grave boundary with granite kerbs and sometimes corner peon posts. The kerbs usually match the headstone and can be flat-topped or tapered. 

Although grave surrounds are no longer permitted in most Council cemeteries, they are still allowed in some older cemeteries and churchyards. 

Often the interior of a surround is concreted and topped with gravel / chippings. (See above for details). Once a surround is added to a grave, the maintenance of that grave reverts from the cemetery owner / operator to the family. This is important to consider before choosing to add a grave surround, as it places additional responsibility on family members for generations to come. Grave surrounds are costly and easily damaged when opening a grave. Cemetery operators do not take responsibility if damage is caused when opening a grave, so repairs must be paid for by the family and can be expensive. Grave surrounds have become less popular in recent years. 

For these reasons we no longer do grave surrounds. We can provide you with details of contractors who do them should this be something you are interested in. Please contact us for their details. 

 Garden Surround

Although a full surround is not permitted in most open-plan lawn cemeteries, often a "garden surround" is still allowed. These are placed in front of the headstone and are usually the width of the headstone or width of the grave and project foward by 1-2 feet / 30-60 cm in front of the memorial. Bounded by granite kerbs to match the headstone, the interior is often planted, or of concrete, covered in gravel / chippings. 

Garden surrounds were more popular in the past, but they are costly, need to be removed and re-instated each time there is a burial and give maintenance issues as they tend to sink as the grave settles, pulling away from the headstone. 

For these reasons we no longer do garden surrounds. We can provide you with details of contractors who do them should this be something you are interested in. Please contact us for their details.