FAQ

It is part of the Cemeteries Rules and Regulations that for all Lawn Graves (those with a headstone only), unofficial memorials such as DIY surrounds, chippings, glass items and spikes/lantern holders are not permitted. If your family grave has been identified as having items such as these, our team will make contact asking for these items to be removed within 2 months of the date of request letter or they will be removed without further notice. Any planted trees will also have to be cut down as these cause many issues when they grow and also not permitted. However, if you do need extra space, it is possible to upgrade a Lawn grave to a Traditional grave and more details about this are available from our Cemeteries Office.

Our main cemeteries are working cemeteries and so there are times items on graves will need to be moved to the back of a headstone in order to allow access for a burial. Our staff try to do this as carefully as they can but some items are very fragile and so damage can unfortunately occur. As these memorials are not permitted by Nottingham City Council as official headstones and kerbsets are, they are not covered by our Insurance and are therefore left at the public’s own risk.

We would strongly recommend that valuable, unique or precious items are not left in our cemeteries as these are public places often open to visitors 24/7 and we cannot be held liable for their damage or loss. As well as considering your individual feelings for your loved ones, we also must be sensitive to the wishes of all our visitors and keep the cemetery grounds tidy, safe and appropriate places for everyone.

Items not permitted on graves, cremated remains plots, around leased memorials nor in scattering areas include (but are not limited to); fragile Items such as glass and picture frames, anything spiked such as metal surrounds, rods inserted into the ground, trinkets, ornaments, flags, planted flowers, conifers or shrubs and DIY surrounds such as plastic, brick, wood or wire fences.

This is not an exhaustive list so for more information about this can be found by contacting our Office team or referring to the Operating Model available on this site.

The drop down posts that have been put in position around Southern Cemetery at Wilford Hill from 1 November 2022 are replacements for the gates that used to be present. Nottingham City Council has made the decision to use the posts to ensure that vehicles do not get stuck if they park on the grass and also to prevent damage to both the cemetery as well any graves, particularly those which are unmarked, whilst the ground is wet and soft. They are also necessary to avoid the congestion we frequently see when a large funeral attends for a funeral service. It allows us to work with Funeral Directors to re-route traffic to ensure it flows as well as possible. Vehicle access is for funeral corteges only.

We appreciate that it means a change for all visitors and as such we have created an appointment system for those who need assistance visiting their loved one’s grave side. These bookings are available on a Friday and can be made by calling 0115 876 1922.

During the spring and summer months, especially during periods of wet weather combined with sunshine, the grass in our cemeteries grows very fast. When the weather is dry enough the Cemeteries team use mowers to cut the grass in all our cemeteries, section by section. If this means the grass in the area of your family grave is perhaps longer than elsewhere, we kindly ask that you bear with us as we will be getting to it as soon as we can.

In some areas, such as areas with mostly traditional (full kerbset) graves, our mowers do not fit as they are too wide, so we have to use a strimmer between the graves. However, if you would prefer to maintain your grave yourself we can add your grave number to our ‘No strim’ list. Please contact the Cemeteries Office if you would like to be added or removed from this list.

To avoid strimmer or mower damage to expensive memorials, we sometimes use weedkiller close to the graves and headstones which means our machinery can be kept away from them. However, if you would prefer to maintain your grave yourself we can add your grave number to our ‘No weedkill’ list. Please contact the Cemeteries Office if you would like to be added or removed from this list.

Yes, we allow Witness Charge cremations; for safety reasons numbers of mourners are limited. Please note we only allow these services to take place in the Main Chapel with the latest time slot being 1pm.

Should you wish to visit Southern Cemetery, the grounds are open 24/7 all year round. If you would like to visit the Crematorium building, we ask for an appointment to be made with our team to ensure access to the Chapels are available. 

Our opening times are available on our website for each cemetery. Please note our historic cemeteries have a different opening to our active cemeteries.

Wilford Hill Cemeteries Office has digital records for all cremations and burials within our Cemeteries. We also have the original burial and grave ledgers for Southern and Northern Cemeteries with ledgers for the historic cemeteries safely secured with Nottinghamshire Archives. These records are also available for the public to access online by visiting and creating an account with www.deceasedonline.com 

If you wanted to visit a Cemetery in person, please contact the Cemeteries Office who will be able to forward you a map highlighting the area in which the grave is located or with a member of the Grounds Team on site. 

Please be aware that with the historic cemeteries in particular, locating a grave may be more difficult to ascertain.

Unfortunately it is not possible to choose a grave but should you have family graves within the Cemeteries, we will endeavour to search for a grave nearby although we cannot make any guarantees. 

For children under the age of 18, there would be no charge for a cremation or a burial option as we work alongside the Children’s Funeral Fund which is a national government initiative. Please note, there could be additional costs involved for extras such as visual tributes if the family wanted to have these as an option. Although the Cremation & Burial Service does not offer a payment plan, we do offer the Nottingham Funeral where we work in conjunction with a local Funeral Director to provide a dignified and full service but with a capped fee. Should you have any further queries regarding this, please do contact our Office. 

Depending on the ground conditions, it is recommended that a headstone is not placed on the grave for at least 6 months following a burial. Please note it can take 6 – 12 months for the ground to settle sufficiently.

If the burial is for a child under the age of 18, provided the memorial permit is submitted within 5 months of the burial, the permit fee would be paid by the Children’s Funeral Fund.

Only fresh flowers without wrapping may be left where the scattering has taken place. We do offer designated areas within all our memorial gardens where memorials can be left.

All Underground Niches and Graves within our Cemetery (apart from Public Graves) have a registered owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial. It is only the owner of the grave who can grant permission for anything to occur to that grave, for instance a change in memorial or the opening for a burial. Ownership can be transferred via a simple form from the Cemeteries Office, but please note if the owner has passed away, whilst the ownership can still be transferred, it is a slightly more complex process. Our Cremation & Burial Office would be more than willing to assist you with any advice.