Cremated-remains plot
One flat 18 × 12-inch tablet. The council gives its metric specification as 450 × 300 mm.
Greenlawn Memorial Park · Family proposalA lasting tribute
A lasting tribute
for Mum.
A simple guide for us to choose her memorial together: what it will look like, what it costs, and how we get it arranged.
What I think we should do
Order a black granite tablet through Greenlawn, with the inscription we agree together. Start with the standard price; if we want a photo, an emblem or flowers, we can discuss those extras before ordering.
Barbara’s proposal · For us to discussFirst, we need to confirm Mum’s plot type. The £557 tablet is for a cremated-remains plot; a full burial grave has different options.
Before we compare, check her plot.
Mum’s actual plot type is still unconfirmed. Cremated remains can also be buried in a full grave, so cremation alone does not tell us which tablet to choose.
Full burial grave
Flat 12 × 12 or 24 × 12-inch tablets. This may also be the relevant plot type where cremated remains have been interred in a family grave.
A nominal size match is only the starting point.
Supplier imperial measurements and rounded metric measurements differ slightly. Ask Greenlawn to accept the exact manufactured dimensions, thickness and fitting before we commit. Co-op, for example, lists its 18 × 12 option as 46 × 30.5 cm, while the council specifies 45 × 30 cm.
The council’s black granite, silver lettering and no-border description is its own supplied specification. It does not, by itself, establish that every alternative stone colour or engraved decorative line is banned.
Physical surrounds around the grave are prohibited. A line engraved on a tablet is a different detail; it still needs checking with the council.
Oversized 18 × 18 desk tablets, upright headstones, raised book memorials and kerb sets are not in this shortlist.
Council: memorial rules · Council brochure and specification
Which tablet fits her plot?
Greenlawn uses flat memorial tablets to keep the lawn setting. The council supplies black granite with silver enamel lettering and no border.
Supplier: Croydon Council / Greenlawn. Style: flat granite tablet, illustrated in the council photograph above. Eligibility: confirm Mum’s plot type and the council order before choosing a size.
12 × 12 inches
30 × 30 cm
Up to 8 inscription lines.
Approximately 20 characters per line.
18 × 12 inches
45 × 30 cm
Up to 8 inscription lines.
Approximately 25 characters per line.
24 × 12 inches
60 × 30 cm
Up to 8 inscription lines.
Approximately 30 characters per line.
Size diagrams show relative proportions, not final artwork. Metric sizes are those listed by the council.
The council order is for supplying and fixing the tablet, with up to eight inscription lines included. Any applicable permit fee is separate.
The plot rules matter
A cremated-remains plot allows one 18 × 12 tablet. A later burial is commemorated by replacing that tablet, potentially retaining the earlier inscription. A full grave permits up to twelve 12 × 12 tablets, six 24 × 12 tablets, or a combination.
We can decide these together.
These are additions to the tablet price. We can keep the memorial simple or choose something personal once we have agreed the wording.
| Extra | Added cost |
|---|---|
| Standard emblem / motif | £45 |
| Photo on the granite tablet | £134 |
| Additional inscription line | £45 per line |
| Additional layout | £26 |
| Bespoke emblem | Confirm with supplier |
| Regulation flower vase, installed | £23 |
| Regulation flower trough, installed | £30 |
Check the separate permit fee.
First memorial: grave sold on or before 31 March 2005£609
First memorial: grave sold since 31 March 2005Free
Subsequent memorial: any grave£149
The council’s wording overlaps on 31 March 2005. Ask the office to confirm the fee for Mum’s exact grave, including whether this is its first memorial.
A £0 permit does not mean a free memorial. The tablet, inscription extras and any supplier charges are separate. Unknown permit or fitting charges: Confirm with supplier.
A few real examples, side by side.
These catalogue photographs help us compare the look as well as the cost. None is an agreed design for Mum. The plain Co-op plaque and decorated Rowland examples are different specifications, so their listed prices are not like-for-like quotations.
Comparison checked · Prices can change; confirm the complete written quote.
Co-op Funeralcare · SEW13
Flat Plaque Granite Memorial
Matching nominal size; council approval required- Black granite · 12 × 12 × 2 inches
- £600 listed price
- Nominal match for the smaller full-grave option, not the cremated-remains plot.
- Black granite · 18 × 12 × 2 inches
- £680 listed price
- Nominal match for a cremated-remains plot, subject to exact-size acceptance.
- Selected alternative granites · 18 × 12 × 2 inches
- £740 listed price
- Dark grey, red, Star Galaxy, Visag Blue or Blue Pearl. Not shown here; stone colour also needs council approval.
The advertised “from £600” is for 12 × 12 inches. It does not buy the 18 × 12 black-granite option.
What the published price includes
VAT, unlimited lettering within the available space, fixing, and the designs shown for the selected product. The photographed plaque is plain; an added photo or bespoke decoration needs a separate quote.
Cemetery/permission fees are extra. Permit, photo and bespoke decoration charges: Confirm with supplier.
Black granite, corner rose
Gold-coloured pin-line border.
18 × 12 × 2 inches
Published product price; see the VAT warning below.
Matching nominal size; council approval requiredListed inclusions
The product description includes 100 cut letters, fitting and VAT.
Check with Greenlawn: the exact size, thickness and fitting, plus the rose, gold finish and decorative line.
Permit, photo and other extras: Confirm with supplier.
Dark grey granite, fine gold line
Gold-coloured pin-line border.
18 × 12 × 2 inches
Published product price; see the VAT warning below.
Matching nominal size; council approval requiredListed inclusions
The product description includes 100 cut letters, fitting and VAT.
Check with Greenlawn: the exact size, thickness and fitting, plus the grey stone, gold finish and decorative line.
Permit, photo and other extras: Confirm with supplier.
Rowland: confirm the VAT-inclusive total.
Rowland’s product description includes VAT, but its shop’s general banner says VAT is excluded. Confirm the final VAT-inclusive total and permit charge directly.
RB245 shop listing and VAT banner · RB246 shop listing and VAT banner
For a strict like-for-like comparison
Ask Rowland for a separate quote for a plain black, silver-lettered tablet matching the council specification. These decorated catalogue examples are not that quote. Plain-specification price: Confirm with supplier.
Before manufacture or installation: an outside supplier must submit a permit application signed by the registered grave owner and obtain council approval. Do not treat a nominal size match as permission to order.
What we do next.
If we choose the council route, these are the ordering steps. For an outside supplier, use the signed permit and approval process above before manufacture or installation.
Confirm the plot and total price
Find the grave number and plot details. Ask Greenlawn which tablet is allowed, when the grave rights were bought, who the registered owner is, and whether a permit fee applies.
Agree the inscription and extras
Choose Mum’s name, dates and a message together. Check spelling and every date carefully. Ask to see the available motifs and photo options before choosing any extras.
Complete the council order form
Use the tablet order form on page 2 of the brochure. The grave owner should sign it. Ask the office how to submit it and request the complete price and layout for approval.
Approve the layout and pay
Once the layout is approved and full payment received, the brochure says delivery can take up to 12 weeks. Confirm the fitting date with the office.
Croydon Bereavement Services
Office: Monday–Friday, 9am–4.30pm, excluding public and bank holidays.
Before we make the final choice.
Flowers and items at the grave
Choose one regulation plastic trough or up to two regulation unbreakable flower containers. Containers must be sunk to the rim and kept in the permitted position. A trough can hold flowers, plants or memorabilia; vases are for flowers only.
Troughs must be brown, dark grey, black or green, no more than 40 × 16 × 13 cm; contents must not rise above 30 cm overall. Flower containers must be black, green or silver and occupy no more than 15 × 15 cm each. Glass, loose memorabilia, food, drink, gravel, pebbles and fencing are not allowed. Confirm any proposed item with the office.
Looking after the lettering
Clean with a soft cloth and a little water, then dry thoroughly. Avoid sprays, brushes and abrasive polish. The silver enamel lettering has a guarantee of up to three years, subject to following the maintenance guidance.
If we prefer an independent memorial mason
We can use our own supplier. The mason must submit a permit application signed by the grave owner, and the memorial must meet Greenlawn’s rules. Unauthorised memorials may be removed. We would need a separate quote for supply, fitting and any permit.
Other memorial arrangements in the brochure
The brochure also lists bronze plaques for memorial vase blocks and Sanctum Vaults. These are different arrangements from the flat granite grave tablet. If Mum is in a Sanctum Vault, ask the office for the appropriate bronze tablet option before using the granite prices above.