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headstone cleaning
Our specialised headstone cleaning service is dedicated to restoring existing memorials, whether they have stood for years or several decades in cemeteries and churchyards. With experience cleaning headstones that date back to the 1940s, we aim to return each memorial as closely as possible to its original condition. It is important to note that each headstone responds uniquely to weathering, depending on its specific location within the burial ground, and while every effort is made, a pristine result cannot always be guaranteed.
Prior to undertaking any cleaning work, we provide a comprehensive assessment to ensure the headstone’s suitability for cleaning and to determine the anticipated results.
To proceed, we kindly request the following information:
Burial Ground Name
Grave Number
Names on the headstone
Year (If applicable)
Next Of Kin Details
Confirmation of Grave Ownership
Cremation / Child
Lawn
£125.00
Traditional Kerb
£150.00
Double Traditional Kerb
£300.00
Annual Grave Maintenance
In addition, new Health and Safety regulations pertaining to memorials make it necessary to always ensure their stability to avoid possible accidents and injury. Local and Church Authorities are even empowered to remove such memorials that are, in their opinion, in a poor state of repair and potentially dangerous.
The authorities are required to notify memorial owners and give them notice to correct any stability defects but quite often owners may be difficult to trace as time goes by.
In view of this, here at Head & Wheble have instigated a memorial maintenance service as a follow on from our memorial manufacturing division. The aim is to ensure your memorial is kept as clean and tidy as possible and to supply a report on its structural condition where this is felt to be appropriate.
Remember, good upkeep of your memorial will help keep your special tribute in good condition and extend its life.
We recommend two cleans per year and we have a range of different contract terms from renewing annually to 5-year and 10-year fixed terms to save you the hassle of renewing each year. We offer longer contract terms on application.
We are also able to create a bespoke tailored maintenance service for you which includes, flower planting and more than 2 cleans per year.
The cost of our annual maintenance packages starts at £78.00 per year providing two cleans per year and depends on the type of headstone.
Cremation Memorials
Lawn Memorials
Traditional Memorials
Traditional Memorials Double Site
Leaf blower to remove debris surrounding and on the grave
Removal of weeds from and surrounding memorial
Light cleaning of chippings as best possible (if applicable)
Re-tightening of existing leaded inscription as best possible (if applicable)
Light wash of whole memorial
Dated photograph supplied and sent to the client
| Maintenance Terms | Annual | 5 Year | 10 Year |
| Cremation memorials | £78.00 | £390.00 | £780.00 |
| Lawn memorials (headstone or headstone & base) | £90.00 | £450.00 | £780.00 |
| Traditional memorials with kerbing or slab covering a single site | £108.00 | £540.00 | £1080.00 |
| Traditional memorial covering a double site | £216.00 | £1080.00 | £2160.00 |
Restoration
Re-level (Due to subsidence)
Charity & Military Commissions
New Forest Airfield Memorial Project Commissioned by Friends of the New Forest Airfield
The New Forest played a crucial role during the Second World War as a base for Allied air operations, with numerous airfields supporting missions such as D-Day. To honour the diverse squadrons, airmen, and ground crew who served and sacrificed, the Friends of the New Forest Airfields (FONFA) established the War Memorial—a lasting tribute conceived through community support and careful planning. The memorial, featuring meaningful inscriptions and symbolic imagery, serves as a place of remembrance and reflection for all, its dignity maintained through ongoing restoration by Head & Wheble, ensuring the legacy and stories of those connected to the New Forest airfields endure for future generations. For more information, visit the Friends of the New Forest Airfields website here fonfa.co.uk
Charles Rolls Heritage Trust
We were honoured to be commissioned for the cleaning and restoration of the memorial dedicated to the Honourable Charles Stewart Rolls, the pioneering aviator whose legacy is marked by both innovation and courage. Recognising the historic importance of this site, our team undertook the project with the utmost care and respect, employing specialist techniques to preserve the memorial’s dignity and ensure its inscriptions and features remain a fitting tribute. Through thoughtful planning and attention to detail, we restored this monument so that it continues to commemorate Rolls’s remarkable achievements and the enduring memory of Britain’s aviation heritage.
Headstone Insurance
Stoneguard Memorial Insurance is a specialist policy designed to protect headstones and memorials against a wide range of risks. As one of the UK’s leading providers of memorial insurance for over 35 years, StoneGuard offers comprehensive cover for accidental damage, vandalism, storm damage, impact by machinery or vehicles, theft, and even acts of malicious damage.
The policy ensures that the cost of repairing or replacing a memorial is covered—up to a chosen insured value—helping families avoid unexpected expenses and ensuring peace of mind. StoneGuard also provides cover for events like falling trees, subsidence, and third-party liability. Policies can be arranged for 5 years.
Representing a five-year contract policy, an annual premium can be as little £5.00 per year. A small price to pay for peace of mind.
Request one of our Stoneguard ‘All Risks’ Insurance Booklets to read more about the insurance policy.
- Accidental damage, including vandalism (malicious damage)
- Storm
- Theft or attempted theft
- Impact (e.g. by a mower)
- Flood and frost
- Falling trees
- Subsidence
- Staining other than by natural weathering caused by tree sap, bird or animal droppings, or flowers
- Council action
It also covers you against damage to or re-fixing and realignment of the memorial stone directly arising from faulty or defective workmanship by any stonemason whose business has ceased trading. Plus, with our Memorial Stone Policy (please note: this is not applicable to our All Risks Policy) legal responsibility to pay damages up to £2,000,000 arising from ownership of the memorial which results in accidental injury of any person, or damage to property.
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