We appreciate that choosing a place of burial can be difficult and you will have to make important decisions about the cemetery and grave you want for the funeral. The following information will help you make your choice.
Normally, your funeral director will help to make the necessary arrangements for buying a grave. Some people may want to make their own arrangements at the time of the funeral. You can organise this by directly contacting us. We will be happy to advise you. If you would like to view the section of the cemetery where the burial is to take place before the funeral, we will arrange for a member of staff to meet with you on the site.
Burials can take place on any weekday, except on bank holidays. Please talk to your funeral director or contact us (see Contact Information details listed below) to discuss any specific needs.
Exclusive rights of burials can be purchased for various depths, which will be determined at the time of the first interment and the nature of the earth. Oldham Council cannot guarantee the depths of graves that were purchased many years ago. The official depth of the grave will not be affected or ‘used up’ by the interment of cremated remains.
Following an interment in a grave the ground will subside and settle for a few months but as soon as practicable it will be levelled, seeded over and maintained by the Council, if you have placed any temporary markers on the grave, these may be removed at this time.
Should a burial be requested in a grave adjacent to your family grave it may be necessary to temporarily cover your grave with the earth. We will protect your headstone and authorised memorials throughout the process and re-instate your grave space immediately after the burial has taken place. This can be upsetting for relatives visiting their graves and we apologise if you find this has happened.
There are memorial gardens for cremated remains at each of our cemeteries. Cremated remains can also be placed in purchased graves.
Most of our cemeteries have consecrated (blessed as sacred) and unconsecrated areas where you can buy graves. The consecrated ground is consecrated by the Church of England.
There are unpurchased and purchased graves:
The owner may transfer the exclusive rights to another person for a fee, by making a written application to the Council or they may bequeath the right in a will. If this is not done, the burial rights to a grave pass to the heir of the original owner upon death. It is important the owner of the exclusive rights of burial informs the cemetery office of a change in address to enable the records to be up to date. See Transferring the Rights to a Grave.
More information on Burial fees
We know how important memorials are as a lasting symbol of remembrance. We offer technical advice and help to make sure that all memorials meet cemetery regulations. For further information please see Choosing a Headstone or contact us at the following address:
The Central Cemeteries Office,
Hollinwood Cemetery,
Roman
Road,
Hollinwood,
Oldham. OL8 3LU
Tel: 0161 681 1312
Fax:
0161 683 5233
E-mail: env.cemeteries@oldham.gov.uk