general information

Natural Burial Grounds

Nature Reserve Burial Grounds are a part of the growing movement towards natural, woodland and green burial grounds around Britain.

Natural burial grounds are very special places. At each site, the aim is to establish a haven of natural beauty and serenity. They are places that allow us the peace to grieve and reflect, places that honour the dead, yet also places where the natural landscape is nurtured.

At a natural burial ground, both coffins and cremated remains can be interred, but unlike other cemeteries, there are no rows of headstones.  There is no sense of a crowd. Instead, grassy paths meander through meadows of wild flowers and copses of native trees, creating an informal ease and serenity.  An occasional bench offers a place to stop, rest and reflect.

At Nature Reserve Burial Grounds, we go one step further. We are not simply creating a woodland; we are creating a nature reserve.

It takes time.  Yet a nature reserve and burial ground develops not just through sensitive planting and careful management, but with each and every person who is buried there.

At a nature reserve burial ground, when a loved one is laid to rest, a tree can be planted on their grave.  You may choose a bench or bird nesting box, inscribed with their name and a few words of love or respect.

You may simply wish to sit and watch the seasons turn, the trees come into leaf, and the flowers returning once again.

A nature reserve burial ground is not only a place of peace.  It is an extraordinary memorial to those who have gone before us.  It is an important gift for our children, their children, their grandchildren.