Facilities

At Vale Royal Crematorium we have a comfortable and modern chapel, furnished in oak.

Bespoke music and lighting systems have been fitted and the chapel can be adapted to provide a fitting environment for any choice of funeral, regardless of faith or religion. The most advanced technology has been used throughout our service, ensuring that Vale Royal is amongst the most environmentally friendly in the world.

We offer a range of services throughout the week to provide more choice to the families we serve. For service information, visit this page.

The floral tribute area is set away from the chapel, offering a quiet spot to gather with friends and family with the views of the River Dane and the Cheshire countryside beyond.

We feel it is essential that you are able to hold the funeral of your choice and our chapel has been designed to cater for people of all beliefs and faiths.

A digital music system offers an almost infinite music collection, whilst our resident organist can be booked for a more traditional service.

Our chapel is also fitted with a tribute screen which allows photographs of the deceased to be displayed during the service, often to accompany a selection of music. Funerals can be recorded too or even streamed live on the internet for those who cannot attend.

We aim to provide everything that you need and would be pleased to discuss any of these options with you to ensure that every detail is right for your service.

We have a modern digital music system that can provide almost any music choice that is requested. Click here for further information and our current music library:  www.obitus.com

 

Our Memorials

Memorials help people to remember and celebrate a person’s life. Deciding on a fitting tribute can be very difficult and this guide is designed to provide you with a brief overview of some of the options available. 

Please note that the photographs are for illustration and our friendly staff would be pleased to show you around the remembrance gardens to discuss the wide choice of memorials available.

 

1. Crematorium Rules & Regulations

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. The following regulations have been designed and formulated for the control and use of Vale Royal Crematorium.

2. All correspondence should be addressed to:
Vale Royal Crematorium
Shurlach Lane, Davenham
Northwich CW9 8RP
Tel: 01606 818990
ValeRoyal@westerleighgroup.co.uk

3. Crematorium opening times:

Office Monday - Friday
9.00am - 5.00pm
Gardens April - September
9.00am - 6.00pm

October - March
9.00am - 5.00pm

Weekend & Public Holidays
10.00am - 4.30pm

4. Children. Those below 15 years of age, will not be permitted to enter the memorial gardens unless accompanied by a responsible adult.

5. Dogs Shall not be permitted in the grounds unless on a lead

6. Vehicles. Cars are allowed in the crematorium grounds but drivers shall not exceed the speed limit of 5 mph. Cars must only be driven on the main carriageways. On no account may cars be driven on footpaths, grass areas or planted areas. All vehicles must be parked neatly to allow access to other vehicles.

7. The Crematorium company shall not be held responsible for the safe keeping of any wreaths, flowers, plants or any other objects placed in the crematorium grounds nor any damage caused to memorials by high winds or storms, or other factors outside their control. An incident book is kept at the office for recording thefts of any type and the police will be informed of more serious crimes and if a high incidence of thefts occurs.

8. All persons shall conduct themselves in a decent, quiet and orderly manner. The General Manager is empowered to take such action as he/she may consider appropriate against any person who may:
- Commit any nuisance in the crematorium.
- Wilfully create any disturbance in the crematorium.
- Wilfully interfere with any burial taking place
- Wilfully interfere with any grave or memorial or any plants, flowers or other such objects in the crematorium grounds.
- Play at any game or sport in the crematorium grounds.

9. Visitors to the crematorium shall not unreasonably interrupt any employee at their duties or employ them to execute private works within the crematorium or extend to them any gratuity. All enquiries, complaints and requests by members of the public must be made to the crematorium office and not to workmen in the Crematorium grounds.

10. No person not being an officer or servant of the Crematorium or another person so authorised by or on behalf of the Crematorium Company shall enter or remain in the crematorium grounds at an hour when it is closed to the public.

11. The taking of commercial photographs and filming is not permitted in the crematorium grounds except with the prior approval and permission of the manager in writing and upon payment of the appropriate fee. Photographs of individual memorials by approval with the grave owner are allowed.

12. No person shall operate any sound equipment or play any musical instrument in the crematorium grounds without the prior consent of the manager. This should not discourage people from singing at the graveside or playing a favourite song quietly with the acknowledgement of the manager.

13. The Crematorium Company reserves the right to close the crematorium grounds on any day should it be considered that circumstances so warrant.

14. The sale of goods, services, plants or other articles, the soliciting of orders or repair of memorials or for work connected with graves is strictly prohibited within the grounds of the crematorium. All such services and requests should be met by the crematorium office.

15. No employee of the Crematorium Company are allowed to undertake privately, any work or favour of any kind nor receive any gratuity for the said work of favour.

16. The placing of stone paving slabs, timber, etc around and leading to a grave space is strictly prohibited and shall be removed without prior notice on the grounds of health and safety and to satisfy the insurance underwriter of the company.

17. Any plants, vases or any other item placed outside the memorial plot shall be removed without prior notice.

18. The planting and maintenance of the grave is the responsibility of the grave owner and the company does not undertake any work other than moulding, turfing or seeding unless a separate agreement has been made with the crematorium company and the appropriate fee paid.

19. All persons entering into the crematorium grounds shall conform to all respects with the crematorium regulations and shall be subject to the orders of the manager and staff who have full power to exclude from the crematorium grounds any member of the public whom may be deemed fit to exclude. Should it be necessary to use physical force to remove a subject the Police shall be summoned.

20. These rules and regulations shall be final.

21. The crematorium company reserves the right to make any alterations and additions to the rules and regulations of the crematorium at any time it feels fit.

22. Rubbish must be placed in the receptacles provided for this purpose. No household rubbish must be left in the crematorium or dumped.

23. The crematorium fees are displayed in the crematorium office and are revised from January 1st. Services after this date will be charged the revised rate.

 

Cremated Remains

1. The interment or scattering of cremated remains will only be permitted (and recorded in the cremation registers) when carried out in the presence of the manager or their authorised staff and only after the necessary documentation has been completed. The scattering of cremated remains is only allowed in the nominated woodland area, or memorial lawn by prior agreement, within the grounds and the above procedure needs to be adhered to also.

2. The certificate for Disposal of Cremated Remains issued by the Crematorium where the cremation took place must be delivered to the office before the interment or scattering can take place. Failure to deliver such Certificate will result in postponement of the interment until such time as the certificate can be produced

3. Regulation B, 3 of these regulations includes cremated remains.

 

REGULATIONS CONCERNING CREMATIONS

1. A cremation can only legally take place when the Crematorium has the Registrars Certificate for Disposal or a Coroners Order for Cremation, Forms A, B and C and the Medical Referee has signed Form F to allow the cremation to take place. Without these forms in no circumstances will a cremation be carried out. (Cremation Regulations 1930 Regulations 6,7,8)

2. The above forms must be received by the Crematorium Office at least 48 hours prior to the service taking place. Failure to provide these forms will cause the cremation to be postponed until such time that these can be produced.

3. The forms will be submitted on those provided by the crematorium and the appropriate fee paid before the cremation takes place, unless an account arrangement has been made with the General manager.

4. The maximum dimensions of a coffin to be loaded into the cremator is 38” wide (including handles) by 28” deep and 88” long.

5. The number of mourners permitted to enter the crematory for a witnessed cremation is six persons. This can only take place with the prior consent of the Superintendent and at his or her discretion.

6. The Funeral Director, or persons effecting the cremation must provide sufficient staff to convey the coffin into the chapel, unless prior warning has been given to the office and the appropriate fee paid.

7. Every body brought to the crematorium must be contained in a suitable coffin or shroud. No coffin or shroud should be accepted unless it bears adequate particulars of the identity of the deceased therein.

8. The Crematorium will not be held responsible for any error or consequences which may arise by reason of any inaccuracy in or late receipt of a notice of interment and will accept orders and instructions by telephone only at the risk of the sender.

9. The crematorium will store the resulting cremated remains for a period of 3 months before they are scattered in the Garden of Remembrance, unless instructions to the contrary are given at the time of applying for the cremation.

10. If no instructions are given regarding the use of floral tributes, they will remain in the floral tribute area at the side of the chapel for 3 days, including the day of the funeral. After this period the flowers will then be disposed of.

11. Any music requirements must be communicated to the crematorium office at least 24 hours before the service is due to take place. If pre-recorded music is to be played, each piece of music must be clearly marked and in the case of CDs, each piece of music on a different CD. The crematorium accepts no responsibility for poor quality recordings or damage to worn out CDs or mistakes due to the inadequate labelling of pieces of music.

12. The cremation of body parts is permitted on the completion of the appropriate forms and the payment of the appropriate fee.

13. The cremation of a non-viable foetus is permitted with the production of the Medical Practioner’s or Midwife’s certificate of delivery.

 

REGULATIONS RELATING TO MEMORIALS

1. All memorials must be supplied and fixed by the Crematorium Company. No external stone masons will be permitted to carry out work in the Crematorium.

2. Inscriptions can contain relaxed expressions such as “Mum” and “Dad”, nicknames etc. The only regulation to this policy is that no inscription should contain words or sentiments which may be offensive to another visitor in the opinion of the General Manager.

3. Should the registered owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial be deceased, a transfer of ownership must be arranged before any approval for works to any memorial can be given.

4. All memorials erected are maintained at the expense of the owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial of that particular grave. Where memorials split, crack or become dangerous, the grave owner shall be required to have that memorial repaired, refixed or relevelled so that it shall be safe at all times.

5. The Crematorium reserves the right without notice to:
a) Remove or make safe any memorial which in their opinion is a danger or could become a danger to any person in the Crematorium or crematorium grounds.
b) To remove temporarily any memorial or part of the memorial if such a course of action appears to the General Manager to be desirable.
c) To recover all reasonable costs in making any memorial safe from the grantee or their representative

6. Every memorial design or idea for commemoration will be considered by the company and that choice will be provided if it is reasonable for the company to do so. This will not include though materials which cause particular environmental harm such as the use of teak and other rainforest timbers for garden benches.

 

Date of Operation:

These regulations shall come into force on 28th July 2014.