Cheshire natural burial ground seeks funeral director

The Barnston Estate in Cheshire is looking for a funeral director to help run its new natural burial ground. Monument Meadow Natural Burial Ground is due to open just outside of the village of Farndon, Cheshire, in April. Landowner Barnston Estate is creating Monument Meadow to replace the burial ground at St Chad’s in the village. The natural burial ground will also be made available for residents of surrounding villages. Work is underway on the site to transform it from a field into a natural burial ground with an oak framed pavilion and landscaped footpaths. The site is anchored with a Grade II-listed monument – a sandstone obelisk flanked by four stone lions - commemorating Roger Barnston, a military officer who died in 1857 of wounds sustained at the Siege of Lucknow in India. At Monument Meadow, the burial ground is intended to be a natural one with caskets made of natural materials with no formal markers. It will change with the seasons over time and “support a variety of flora” Types of plots available to reserve include natural burial plots, interment of ashes and scattering of ashes. Manager of the state, Edward Barnston, said: “There has been great interest in the natural burial ground and we hope it will be a special place for people to think, reflect and to celebrate a person’s life. “We have given careful consideration to ensure that it is respectful to the surrounding landscape. We will be planting a variety of native species of trees such as oak, beech, wild cherry, walnut and lime, new hedges and a lovely wildflower meadow which will include buttercups, cow parsley and yarrow. We are now looking for a funeral director who would like to join our team.”