The Garden of Remembrance is divided into the four seasons of the year.
Cremated remains may be dispersed in any of the seasons, it is usual for the dispersals to take place in the season that the death occurred, however dispersals can happen in any season that the family wish. The Gardens are designed to be at their best during the season in which the death occurred.
Friends and family are welcome to attend the dispersal of their loved one, however if they do not wish to witness this, the office staff will be happy to carry out the dispersal on their behalf.
Staff at the cemetery and crematorium office are happy to discuss memorial options by appointment, please email GardensofRest@bedford.gov.uk or phone 01234 718150 to make an appointment.
We have a range of memorial options available in different parts of our site - for example memorials for the Gardens include:
Other memorials that can be purchased for other areas of the memorial gardens are:
Read more about our memorials and the options available to you here.
For more information or to arrange an appointment to view memorial options please contact GardensofRest@bedford.gov.uk.
Norse Road Garden of Remembrance also has a dedicated area for babies where dispersal of ashes can take place and an area for memorials which are situated on the far side of the gardens near the sanctums.
There are three styles of plaques to choose from. Heart plaque, Train plaque or Teddy Bear plaque.
If you wish to have your loved ones' cremated remains placed loosely into any of the above gardens or a family grave, you will need to give us permission to disperse the ashes (PDF). The applicant for the cremation is the only person that can complete this form. Families can choose to be present if they wish.
If you choose to have a burial of ashes into either one of the vaults in our gardens or a family grave you will need to complete an Interment form (PDF).
View a list of our interment options below
Sanctums, Barbicans, Vase Block Tablets and Yorkstone boulders can carry photo plaques, photo frames and motifs for an additional fee, our Memorial Officer can provide more details on request.
For more information or to arrange an appointment to view memorial options, please contact us at: gardensofrest@bedford.gov.uk.
You can find a list of fees for each memorial in our cemetery fees booklet (PDF)
Cast bronze baby plaques are available for placement in our Gardens of Remembrance in our dedicated baby section.
These plaques are available in three different designs: train, teddy bear and heart.
Apply for a heart shape plaque
Each plaque can contain up to five lines of inscription and remain in dedication for 15 years.
A barbican tablet is a granite plaque that secures to a granite column in the spring and autumn sections of the gardens of remembrance.
Plaques are 7” x 5” and can hold a photo, or other small design and 4 short lines of inscription and will remain in dedication for 15 years.
Wooden bat boxes can be mounted on any tree at either Norse Road or Foster Hill Road Cemetery or the box can be taken home to your own garden. Typically up to four lines of inscription can be added to the front of the box.
Boxes installed on site can remain in situ for a dedication period of five years.
Apply for a bat box (PDF)
All benches located at Norse Road cemetery are now Polywood a 90% recycled material. Benches come in two colours, Teak or Mahogany and are 48” long, a plaque measuring 92 x 2” can be inscribed with up to 56 letters/ 5 lines and remain in dedication for 15 years.
Apply for a bench (PDF)
Additional plaques are permitted to be placed on existing benches which are in lease at Norse Road Cemetery, subject to available space, with a lease period matching that of the existing bench and plaque.
We have placed communal Polywood benches in our Blossom Garden which have up to five spaces available for inscribed plaques to memorialise your loved one, each plaque has a lease period of 10 years.
Wooden bird boxes can be mounted on any tree at either Norse Road or Foster Hill Road Cemetery or the box can be taken home to your own garden. Typically up to two lines of inscription can be added to the front of the box. Boxes installed on site can remain in situ for a dedication period of five years.
Apply for a bird box (PDF)
Entries can be made in the books for either Norse Road or Foster Hill Road cemeteries and consist of the date of death and up to eight lines of inscription (with the name counting as one line).
All entries in the books are done by a skilled calligrapher who updates the book four times per year.
We have a dedicated space in our Gardens of Remembrance for granite wall plaques to commemorate your loved one, these can be in the form of single or double wall plaques and come with a lease period of 15 years. All plaques are subject to space availability.
These are burial plots which are situated behind the administrative building adjacent to the Garden of Remembrance. Each plot can accommodate up to three wooden caskets or bio-degradable urns (available at Norse Road) and are for the interment of cremated remains.
A memorial headstone may be purchased by a stonemason and placed on the plot providing the size is to the scale of the plot. Until the memorial is erected a wooden cross with a plaque is provided by us and placed on the plot. The cost of the garden burial plot includes the first interment and Exclusive Right of Burial for 75 years. You can purchase a garden burial plot in the garden burial plot section below
Glass leaves are located on our Mulberry Tree situated in the Blossom Garden. Each leaf allows for up to 10 lines of inscription and can remain in situ for a lease period of 10 years.
Apply for a glass leaf (PDF)
Granite vase blocks are located in our Spring (Red Granite) and Winter (Black Granite) Gardens of Remembrance.
Each vase block houses a vase for floral tributes and can hold up to six lines of inscription for a dedication period of 15 years.
Although we no longer have any new hexagonal vaults available, if you have an existing Hexagonal Vault at Norse Road Cemetery, you can apply for a new vault cover or re-gilding of the inscription whilst the vault is within the 75 year lease period.
Kerb plaques are located in the Autumn or Spring gardens bordering the paths, they are approx. 8 inches x 3.5 inches and can hold a small design or a 4 cm x 3 cm photo. Kerb plaques remain in dedication for 15 years with the possibility to extend once the initial lease period expires.
Leaf vaults are tall standing sandstone vaults that also accommodate two sets of cremated remains with a leaf shaped and detailed granite cover which can hold six lines of gold or silver inscription.
The cost of each leaf vault includes the first interment, vase, gold urn, and inscription with the Exclusive Rights of Burial for 75 years. Further charges may apply for additional inscription and second interment. Photo plaques and motifs can be added for an additional fee which will be quoted by the supplier.
We have granite mushrooms situated in our Blossom Garden, each with five discs. Each disc is available for up to five lines of inscription and can remain in situ for a lease period of 10 years. Single disc plaques or entire mushrooms are available.
Although we no longer have any new omega nichés available, if you have an existing niché in the gardens of Norse Road Cemetery, you can apply for an additional inscription relating to a second interment.
Apply for an additional inscription on existing omega niché cover (PDF)
Rose plaques are a black staked plaque with bronze lettering for placement in our Gardens of Remembrance. These are commonly used to mark the location of a cremated remains dispersal or to serve as a memorial placement. Each plaque can hold up to 50 characters for a dedication period of 15 years.
Apply for a rose plaque (PDF)
The Sanctum 2000 is a free-standing granite vault, with a black granite cover that can be inscribed with gold or silver lettering. Families can choose to have ornamentation on the cover such as a photo plaques or inscribed pictures at an extra cost.
Each Sanctum can accommodate two sets of cremated remains which can be in an urn, casket or Polytainer provided by us. The cost of each Sanctum includes 80 letters, a flower vase, the first interment and the Exclusive Right of Burial for 75 years. Further charges will be incurred with the second interment and additional inscription.
We have a dedicated space in our Gardens of Remembrance for granite wall plaques to commemorate your loved one. These can be in the form of a single or double wall plaque and come with a lease period of 15 years. All plaques are subject to space availability.
Our solid oak plaques are a large wooden staked plaques which can be used to mark the resting place of your loved one in any of our lawned cemetery areas of Norse Road. They can also be used to mark the resting place of a loved one in our Woodland cemetery area, and can of course also be taken home to place in an area that you wish.
They are offered with a lease period of 10 years, or the life of the product.
A dedication on an existing tree at either Norse Road or Foster Hill Road cemeteries. A plaque can be placed next to the tree containing a maximum of 70 letters and/or figures for a dedication period of 15 years. Additional plaques can also be purchased during the original lease period.
Yorkstone boulders are made of natural stone measuring 7 inches high x 9 inches wide x 3 inches deep.
Each boulder can hold up to six lines of inscription for placement in our Woodland and Blossom Garden areas and remain in dedication for 10 years.