Grave consequences!

[stoney]

With the Health and Safety "police" issuing edicts about the safety of gravestones spare a thought for those of us who, having already buried our parents once, are now "invited" to repeat part of the excercise by providing another headstone!

We fell foul of new regulations after a council-appointed "person" carried out a "topple-test" on our parent's headstone. True, the stone was tilting slightly by a couple of degrees but it was the concrete plinth in the soil that was tipping - the headstone itself was upright and was perpendicular to the base slab. Not satifactory enough for the good burghers of the local borough council - they actually manhandled it backwards off the concrete plinth to "prove" it was unsafe! (see pic)

The new regulations mean drilling through the original stone to insert an anchorage bar.

Fine.

Width of stone = approx 5cm. Width of bar = approx 3cm. You don’t need a degree in maths/science to assume that the stone will in all probability break, (as the funeral director herself suggested!) so the £275.75 we were quoted for this little excercise will be money down the drain and we will have to pay a further £900+ for a replacement stone!

....and I thought a headstone was supposed to last a lifetime! 

[aghadowey]

Would it not be possible (and less expensive) to put in a new base for the existing headstone rather than their hideous suggestion?

[stoney]

My thought exactly, but the "jobsworths" have decreed that if any stone is moved or changed for any reason (e.g. to add a new inscription) it has to be replaced in the manner of all new headstone - ie. with this anchorage bar system! 

They say they're worried about a stone toppling over and hurting/killing someone - well unless your leaning on the stone it's hardly likely to move of it's own accord.

Funny, but when I looked around the cemetery this morning I noticed some great variations in angles of stones which for some reason have no hazard warning signs attached - I guess they don't care if someone gets killed by one of those!

[ozlady]

How many people have been killed by gravestones? This really is carrying things too far. It's probably the same mob that piled up all the old gravestones into one heap at my former parish church! What an unsightly mess they made. There was quite some discussion about this problem on an earlier thread.

[stoney]

The likelihood is we'll have to stump up the cost for a new stone - but no matter how near we try to match it I think it will feel like we're visiting a different grave.

It's a bit like being bereaved all over again - I don't suppose the "jobsworths" give a fig about our feelings, they're just worried about lawsuits and compensation claims.

I have a solution for that - a one-line disclaimer on the noticeboard at the entrance to the churchyard - "The  (whatever) Council accept no responsibility for injury due to falling headstones".

In fact, why don't all institutions employ such a disclaimer - then this "compensation culture" would have to stop blaming everyone else and take responsibility for their own actions!

[ozlady]

Can you choose who you want to do the repair? I know in some areas it has to be a "Council" sanctioned person.

[Rewcastle]

As i understand the regulations were brought in due to a child being killed by a headstone falling on them.
No one should have to go through such a tragic event.

Years ago when you had the big  stone headstones they were put in by professional stone masons at the proper depth who knew their job and worked with the stone.

Now you get a headstone which is dressed and inscribed with a machine. These days anyone can set a business up as a monumental mason or buy a firm and can go do a course and get a certificate but they won't have the knowledge of  the stone.

The other thing is in days gone by you didn't have all the heavy machinery / grasscutters disturbing the ground around the stones.
The base that they put down for headstones in my opinion is ridiculous and seems to be minimum specification.

The easiest way to rectify the problem  (besides putting a deep enough base in) would be to drill the bottom of the headstones and the base and insert several steel rods.


Rewcastle

[stoney]

Years ago when you had the big stone headstones they were put in by professional stone masons at the proper depth who knew their job and worked with the stone.

Rewcastle

The irony is my Mother's father was a Master Stonemason with a flourishing business in Carlisle (Beattie Bros.) - he would have known what he was doing! Well, we shall just have to cut our losses and put up a new stone to comply with all the new regulations. Trouble is, will they change the regulations again in 10 years time?   

[stoney]

Further to my tale of woe concerning my parents' headstone, I'm pleased to say we have found a stonemason who appears to know what he is doing and has a real love for his work.

He can make the necessary adjustments to comply with regulations and will do some restoration as well, for less than we were being quoted elsewhere!