We operate Rainsbrook Crematorium and the following five cemeteries in the borough:
View the council's Cemetery Regulations
Our bereavement services team can help with all enquiries about funerals and cremations. Call the team on (01788) 533715 or email rainsbrook@rugby.gov.uk
Parking on all cemetery roads is not permitted at any time, unless one of the following applies:
Cemetery gates close up to one hour prior to a burial and only reopen once the service has finished.
Pedestrian access remains open to all visitors.
If you wish to undertake a family history search please visit the following website: deceasedonline
We have commenced our Memorial Safety Testing Programme in the cemeteries managed by Rugby Borough Council, this includes the following cemeteries:
And closed Churchyards:
The safety testing is carried out by qualified inspectors and it is a necessary procedure carried out to assess whether memorials are at risk of falling.
If your memorial poses an immediate danger it may be temporarily laid down or supported with a small stake without your knowledge.
We will be progressing the work based on a risk assessment of the sites to prioritise any areas considered most dangerous to our visitors.
Once a headstone has been identified as unsafe we will inform the owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial of this and request work is carried out by a registered Stonemason within a set time period. Please be aware that Stonemasons will charge a fee for this and the cost will be determined by the amount of work required to make safe.
If work is not carried out within the set time period, the Council will take further action on the unsafe memorial. Please be aware that this may result in the headstone being removed permanently from the headstone border and laid flat within the grave space.
Grave owners and their families have a responsibility to make sure their memorial remains in good repair. Do not attempt to repair or remove a memorial yourself. If your headstone has recently been installed you may find that it is covered by the Stonemason guarantee and you should contact them to make the necessary arrangements to make safe.
If no action is taken we will look to reduce any risk by the most cost effective means. This might include:
We apologise in advance for any distress this may cause, however, we are required to carry out this work.
You can help us by:
Q) How many headstones are there altogether in Council owned cemeteries?
A) In the cemeteries run by the Council and the closed churchyards there are approximately 20,000 memorial headstones.
Q) Are some likely to be more dangerous than the others?
A) By virtue of their size and weight the larger and therefore heavier upright headstones can cause the greatest damage and injury if they fall and injure someone. However, the smaller type of headstones are still of sufficient weight to seriously injure any person they fall on, particularly the young or elderly.
The degree of danger also relates to the method of fixing and often the length of time that has elapsed from the date the headstone was erected. Some of the large upright headstones can be seen to be leaning forwards or backwards but when tested are found to be secure and in no immediate danger to the public.
Other headstones, which appear on a visual inspection to be upright and of no danger, can be found to be loose on their base and an immediate danger to the public. It is only by establishing a headstone testing regime to examine each memorial that the degree of danger of an individual headstone can be assessed.
Q) How will the safety test be undertaken and how do you define ‘dangerous’?
A) Once the plan of works is planned out and schedule then we would carry out the following:
Red – poses an immediate danger
Amber – may pose a danger in the next 5 years
Green – no danger
If a memorial is found to be an immediate danger, they will be made temporarily safe.
Q) How long will it take?
A) It is difficult at this initial stage to accurately judge how long the testing programme will take. We aim to minimise disruption to service users but to also ensure a robust programme is underway.
It is anticipated that the grave owner or his or her descendants will repair a substantial number of these headstones. In due course a decision will have to be taken by the Council as to the action to be taken regarding those memorials still requiring repair at the end of the period.
Q) How much does it cost to check them, and who will be responsible for these costs?
A) The Council has a duty of care to the public entering its cemeteries as owner occupier of the land concerned. The Council will bear the cost of the inspection programme. However, it is the owners responsibility to pay for any repairs to the headstone.
Q) What about people who live outside the district? How do they know that their loved ones’ headstones are being checked?
A) Notices have been placed around the cemeteries to inform visitors and members of the public entering the cemetery of the safety checks. We have also placed adverts in the local newspaper.
Q) What method are you going to use to contact families?
A) Current legislation allows the Council to make safe an immediately dangerous memorial without notification to the grave owner. Regrettably it is impracticable to provide prior written notification to each of the many thousands of grave owners having a headstone on their grave that a memorial safety programme is underway. Letters will be sent to those families where a headstone has been declared unsafe so is important that you inform Bereavement Services of any change of address.
Q) Is it safe to visit the cemetery whilst the safety programme is in progress?
A) It is perfectly safe for relatives and members of the public to visit the cemetery whilst the safety programme is in progress. You may find a small section of the cemetery has been cordoned off, however, we will try to keep this to a minimum and only for as long as necessary.
Q) What happens to a memorial where families do not repair an unsafe memorial?
A) Families should make arrangements for a repair to their unsafe memorial with a registered Stonemason, however, for those memorials where no action is taken, the Council will take the necessary action, which may involve the headstone being laid flat within the grave space.