Memorial inspection

Published: 23 November 2023

Westbourne Parish Council is responsible for the closed churchyard in Westbourne at St John the Baptist Church. It is committed to ensuring the safety of anyone visiting or working in the closed churchyard and will make certain that all reasonably practicable measures are taken to ensure this, including regular memorial surveys and repairs. 

During week commencing 27 November 2023, a safety inspection of all the memorials will be made by Haven Memorials - the Council's preferred specialist contractor. The Council will work closely with the Church, including to identify any holders of the exclusive right of burial for each grave if records are still available. As the churchyard was closed in 1859, it is possible that this information is no longer available. 

Each memorial will be given a visual check to access its condition, followed by a push test to check its stability. The results of the test will be logged and recorded. A warning notice may be attached to any memorial if it is found to be in an unsafe condition and we will arrange for it to be repaired by a qualified, registered monumental mason. It may be necessary to make memorials temporarily safe if it is considered to be high risk. In this case, the memorial would be laid flat with a warning notice until it was repaired. 

We will make every attempt to contact the holders of the exclusive right of burial. If we have not contacted you, it may be because we do not have your current address. Please contact us at clerk@westbourne-pc.gov.uk or 07775 654 483 to check or update your contact details.

More information about the churchyard is available on our website.