Arranging a burial

St Helens Borough Council manages both St Helens and Newton-le-Willows cemeteries.

At both spaces there are full burial and cremation graves available to purchase. Pre-purchase of graves can be made.

At St Helens Cemetery there is also a Garden of Remembrance, Memorial Garden and two options of above ground vaults for cremated remains.

At Newton-le-Willows Cemetery there is a Garden of Remembrance for scattering cremated remains.

Find out more about St Helens Crematorium

Purchasing a full burial grave

To purchase a grave space, please visit the crematorium office. Here we will show you a map where the new grave sites are. The current sections available are:

• Section 77 - for three full interments
• Section 86, 87, 88 - for one or two full interments
• Section 89 - for two or three full interments (this section requires all graves to have full-length kerbs)

After selecting which section and grave number you would like to purchase, you will have to fill in an application form for the Exclusive Rights of Burial. You can have up to four grave owners for one grave.

Purchasing a cremation grave (extended gardens are not allowed on these sections - 78/79/79a/85/87a/88a)

To purchase a grave space, please visit the Crematorium Office. Here we will show you a map where the new grave sites are. The current sections available are:

• Section 87a  - for four caskets 

After selecting which section and grave number you would like to purchase, you will have to fill in an application form for the Exclusive Rights of Burial. You can have up to four grave owners for one grave.

You can pay for your grave by debit or credit card at the Crematorium Office or by telephone payment over the phone.

Lawned graves

All the newer sections in the cemeteries are laid out as lawned sections where the headstone is placed on a foundation at the head of the grave and the main part of the grave is in the form of a level grass lawn.

The aim is to be able to mow and maintain the grass without restrictions and provide safe access for people attending funerals and visiting adjacent graves. Therefore, the placing of kerbstones, fences and other obstacles and ornamentation is not allowed on the lawned area of any grave.

If the owner of the grave wishes to plant a small garden at the head of the grave, then this is allowed, as long as the garden area does not exceed 12" (300mm) from the headstone and 36" (900mm) in width. This area must not be enclosed with kerb edgings of any description and only small plants that will not reach a height greater than 18" (450mm) on maturity should be planted in this area.

Extended gardens (these are not permitted on sections 78/79/79a/85/87a/88a)

Where grave owners would like a larger garden area, they can apply for permission to extend the garden up to 24" (600mm) from the headstone and 36" (900mm) in width. The gardens will need to be removed on numerous occasions to facilitate burials in adjoining and opposite graves. The removal and replacement of the gardens, at short notice, will be the responsibility of the grave owner.

There are further conditions regarding what can be placed within the garden to ensure that it is easily removable and does not present a hazard for visitors to the cemetery.

All grave owners who wish to extend the garden must have their request approved and sign a declaration in the cemetery and crematorium office to agree to abide by the extended garden conditions and agree to cut and maintain the areas of grass where the council's mowing machinery cannot access to the same standard as the adjacent graves. 

Items not permitted on any grave space

• graves mounded with soil or planted with bulbs or perennials
• glass jars, other glass items or any sharp or dangerous objects
• edgings raised above the height of 4" (100mm)
• wood or plastic edgings or fences
• metal/cast iron edging with spikes, protrusions or any sharp ornamentation
• chippings or stones of any description

Unauthorised memorials

Any item placed on any grave without the prior consent of the Bereavement Services Manager is an unauthorised memorial.

Where unauthorised memorials are identified, two weeks' notice will be given to the grave owner, where possible, to remove the unauthorised memorial. When a grave owner cannot be traced or when the served notice expires and the owner fails to comply with the notice, then the Bereavement Services Manager may remove the unauthorised memorial.

An unauthorised memorial, when removed, will be retained for collection by the grave owner for a period of six months, following which it may be disposed of.