Barnston Estate to offer natural burial ground

Barnston Estate has announced it has received planning permission to build its own natural burial ground. The family estate in Chesire received the greenlight to build the burial ground by Cheshire West and Chester Council , and will replace the burial ground at St Chad’s in Farndon Village. Monument Meadow Natural Burial Ground will also be made available for residents of surrounding villages. Designed by Land Studio in Chester, a specialist landscape architect, the environment will be kept as “natural as possible” with a wildflower meadow and ornamental trees. With its timber-framed pavilion, circular layout and views stretching across the Clywdian Range, it has been designed to be a peaceful and beautiful place to visit. It will also provide a safe haven for birds and wildlife enabling wild flowers and trees to thrive. 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. Owner, Ed Barnston, said: “Monument Meadow will be an essential community facility and 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.” There are more than 270 natural burial grounds in the UK, with work starting on the site in September with an expected open date of Easter 2021. Rosie Inman-Cook, manager of the Association of Natural Burial Grounds, said: “We have seen a record number of planning permission requests for natural burial grounds this year. “A well run natural burial funeral offers something very different to the usual burial service choices. Families get a time rich funeral, they feel less processed and they’re often more affordable.” She added: “A natural burial ground is also better for the environment as it provides a permanent protective space for wildlife. Most importantly, families have somewhere beautiful to visit – a living legacy.”