Memorial ideas in Durham

When a loved one dies and chooses to have their ashes scattered, their family and friends may want to designate a space in their memory to visit instead of a grave. 

A memorial, such as a dedicated tree or bench, can be a meaningful way to remember your loved one. It can give you a spot to visit and think about your loved one in an area that was significant to them, such as the town where they grew up or their favourite spot in the park. 

In Durham, there are a number of ways you can set up a memorial for your loved one, including their own plaque in Durham Crematorium’s memorial garden, or an entry in the crematorium’s Book of Remembrance.

Find your funeral director in Durham who will help you arrange a cremation or burial, and give you ideas for a meaningful memorial.

Durham crematorium’s memorial garden is open in all seasons and this is reflected in the design of the garden. It has a beautiful ornamental pond that is home to bronze cranes and also has four, tranquil fountains. The walled garden is paved and there is easy access to the nearby car park.

You can lease memorial plaques for ten years and these are available in three sizes. After ten years you can renew these plaques if you’d like to. 

The Memorial Vase block and plaque is a black granite plaque that can be inscribed. This option also comes with a personal vase where you can place cut flowers. The plaque measures 7½" x 5½", allowing for a minimum of 100 letters to be inscribed. Meanwhile, the Large Caithness Stone Memorial Wall Plaque measures 12" x 6", which allows you to have an inscription of up to 120 letters that are written in black and deep cut into the stone. 

The Small Caithness Stone Memorial Wall Plaque measures 12” x 3” which lets you have an inscription of up to 60 letters with black, deep cut letters.

You can lease a memorial by filling in the online form on the Durham Crematorium website, taking care to write your chosen inscription in block capital letters.

Plaques usually take about 12 weeks to prepare and fix, and you will be notified when the plaque is ready and where it has been placed. You can now pay for a plaque via debit card.

The handmade Book of Remembrance is displayed at Durham Crematorium and is bound in Black Morocco with Goatskin Parchment pages. The Book of Remembrance has a medieval look, and this is made possible by lettering craftsmen. 

A page is provided for each day of the year, and the book is always open to the appropriate page, so you can pay a visit on the anniversary of your loved one’s death and pay your respects.

Standard entries in the book are two lines. This is usually your loved one’s name and the date in which they died. You can also add an epitaph if there is additional space. The capital letter for a standard entry is made of gold leaf and is set in a red block. If you wish, you can request a longer entry be made, and coats of arms, floral emblems, and regimental badges can be added at an additional cost.

There is also an online Book of Remembrance, which was established and is maintained by a third party. You can also have a personal copy of your loved one’s inscription in the Book of Remembrance. This can be in the form of a miniature replica of the inscription or a folded remembrance card. A miniature Book of Remembrance measures approximately 8” by 6” and has a full binding of buff simulated or blue vellum. It has a Cross and Glory design on the front that is available in three design combinations. These are blue with either a floral emblem or a Cross and Glory emblem, or buff with a Cross and Glory emblem.

The miniature Book of Remembrance has a title page and a quotation page. You can find the original inscription on the centre page of the book. The miniature book is protected by a glassine wrapper and protective box.

Meanwhile, the folded remembrance card measures approximately  6½" by 4¾" and is also available in either blue or bluff vellum with either a Cross and Glory or floral emblem on the cover in simulated gold. It is also protected by a PVC coach-hide wallet. Beneath the anniversary date, there is a hand-inscribed copy of the original inscription as it appears in the Book of Remembrance.