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Losing a loved one is never easy, but the desire to create a lasting memorial for them is a timeless tradition. For many families, choosing a headstone that withstands the test of time can be a difficult decision. In this blog post, we hope to give you a helping hand in the process. Below, we take a look at certain materials and designs that have been proven to be the longest-lasting option for headstones. 

Granite

One of the most enduring materials used in headstone construction is granite. Renowned for its durability, granite has been a popular choice for centuries. Its resistance to weathering, staining, and decay ensures that the headstone will stand strong against the elements for generations to come. Additionally, granite offers a wide array of colours and finishes, providing families with a broad spectrum of choices for personalisation.

Marble

Marble is another time-tested option for lasting memorials. Although slightly softer than granite, marble still boasts excellent longevity when properly maintained. It exudes an elegant, classic beauty that captivates visitors while evoking a sense of timelessness. However, due to its susceptibility to weathering and erosion over time, it requires occasional cleaning and care to preserve its pristine appearance. 

Bronze

Bronze memorials have also gained popularity for their resilience and dignified appearance. Often used in combination with granite or other sturdy materials, bronze plaques provide a stunning contrast and complement the overall design. As bronze develops a natural patina over time, the memorial gains character and becomes even more visually captivating.

While selecting the right headstone material and design contributes to longevity, proper maintenance is equally essential. Regular cleaning, especially in urban areas with pollution and grime, will help preserve the headstone’s original appearance. Families should inspect the memorial regularly for signs of wear and tear and address any issues promptly to prevent further damage. At Cope Memorials, we offer free quotes on headstone renovations and cleaning.

Cope Memorials – Leading Manufacturers of Headstones and Memorials 

Here at Cope Memorials, we are a family-run business who have over 110 years of experience in our trade. We are a team of skilled stonemasons committed to creating the finest headstones and memorials. Our utmost priority is our customers, and we consistently strive to deliver exceptional and compassionate service on every occasion. For more information on our online collections, or if you are wanting something more personal, please give us a call today on 01773 602187. Alternatively, you can complete our online enquiry form where a member of our team will be in touch shortly.

For thousands of years, headstones have been used to mark where family and friends have been buried. Before the time of cemeteries, people would bury their loved ones in proximity to the family home, and mark the burial spot with wood or works as a means to ‘’keep the dead from rising’’. Things have changed since then mind, so we thought we’d give you a short history of headstones. 

17th Century

As personal burial grounds gave way to church cemeteries, the use of larger upright tombstones became prevalent for marking graves. Originally crafted from slate, these tombstones would later transition to sandstone, with both materials proving relatively easy to inscribe with names, dates, and inscriptions. 

18th Century

In the 18th century, iron cages known as mort safes were employed to cover graves. However, by the end of the Victorian era, materials such as marble, granite, iron, and wood replaced these cages. This period also witnessed a shift in the commemoration of loved ones’ graves, as lower socioeconomic classes began to adopt the use of more elaborate gravestones, which had previously been primarily reserved for the middle and upper classes.

19th Century 

The 19th century marked the emergence of public burial grounds, prompting families to personalise headstones as heartfelt tributes to their departed. This era saw the inclusion of engraved short epitaphs and personal details on increasingly elaborate and decorative grave markers. Alongside these inscriptions, favourite prayers and simple religious symbols often adorned the grave markers, reflecting the spiritual and personal beliefs of the deceased.

Modern Times

With the advent of industrialisation, headstone production became more streamlined. Materials such as granite and marble became widely used due to their durability and aesthetic appeal. Modern headstones now feature personalised inscriptions, photographs, or even QR codes that link to online memorials, allowing visitors to access more information.

Cope Memorials

With a century of industry expertise and specialised knowledge in stonemasonry, the team at Cope Memorials are dedicated to helping you find the ideal headstone for your beloved. If you’re facing difficulty in your search, we encourage you to reach out to us without hesitation. Please give us a call today on 01773 602 187 or complete our online enquiry form.

Memorials have been an important part of human history for thousands of years. From ancient burial sites to modern monuments, they have served as a way for people to remember and honour loved ones who have passed away. However, the significance of memorials extends far beyond just a means of remembrance. They play a crucial role in creating lasting legacies that can inspire and motivate generations to come. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of memorials and the ways in which they can help us create lasting legacies.

Memorials are more than just physical structures that commemorate the life of an individual. They can also serve as a symbol of hope and inspiration for future generations. They remind us of the sacrifices and achievements of those who have come before us, and inspire us to strive for a better future. Through memorials, we can honour the past and celebrate the present, while looking forward to the future. 

Why Are They Important?

One of the most important aspects of creating a lasting legacy is ensuring that the memory of an individual is preserved for future generations. Memorials help to achieve this goal by providing a tangible representation of a person’s life and achievements. They can be a physical structure, such as a headstone or bench. By establishing a memorial in honour of someone, we ensure that their life and legacy will be remembered and celebrated for generations to come. 

Memorials can also serve as a way to promote healing and closure for those who have lost a loved one. Grieving is a natural part of the human experience, and memorials provide a space for people to come together and reflect on their loss. They can be a source of comfort and support, and can help to bring closure to a difficult time. 

Remembering History

In addition to honouring individuals, memorials can also serve as a way to commemorate important events or moments in history. They can be a reminder of the sacrifices and struggles that people have endured, and can inspire us to continue fighting for justice and equality. By creating memorials that honour these events, we can ensure that their impact is never forgotten.

Cope Memorials

At Cope Memorials, our area of expertise is creating headstones and memorials. Our team consists of proficient craftsmen with a wealth of experience that spans over 115 years and has been passed down through generations of our family. If you require the services of a dependable stonemasonry company, please feel free to contact us at 01773 602 187 or complete our online contact form. A team member will promptly respond to your enquiry.

Memorials are a way of honouring and remembering those who have passed away, but the way in which we approach remembrance can vary widely between different cultures. Understanding these differences is important for appreciating the diverse ways in which people express grief, honour their loved ones, and celebrate their lives. 

What Are Some of the Differences?

In most cultures, funerals and memorials are solemn occasions where family and friends dress in black and pay their respects in a quiet and sombre setting. In others, they are colourful celebrations filled with music, dance, and feasting. For example, in Mexico, the Day of the Dead is a festive holiday where families gather to remember and honour their ancestors with colourful altars, marigolds, and sugar skulls. In Japan, the Obon festival is a time when people visit and clean the graves of their ancestors, light lanterns, and perform traditional dances.

In many indigenous cultures, memorials are closely tied to the natural world and involve rituals that honour the deceased and their relationship to the environment. For example, some Native American tribes hold a ceremony known as the Ghost Dance, which is believed to allow the living to communicate with the dead and ask for their guidance. In Australia, Aboriginal communities hold a “sorry business” ceremony to mourn the loss of a loved one and reconnect with their spiritual ancestors. 

Traditions Can Change

It’s also important to note that memorial traditions can evolve over time and vary within cultures. For example, in the United States, Memorial Day began as a way to respect soldiers who died in the Civil War, but has since expanded to include all those who have died in military service. Similarly, the tradition of leaving flowers at gravesites has ancient roots but has evolved to include a wide range of commemorative items, such as photographs, stuffed animals, and other personal mementos. 

Understanding these different approaches to remembrance can help us appreciate the diversity of human expression and deepen our understanding of the grieving process. Whether we celebrate with music, dance, or quiet reflection, the act of honouring those who have passed on is an important part of the human experience that brings us together in shared mourning and remembrance.

Cope Memorials

Here at Cope Memorials, we are a family-run business with over 110 years of experience working as stonemasons. We pride ourselves on delivering high quality headstones and memorials for customers in Derby and the surrounding areas. Please give us a call today on 01773 602 187. Alternatively, you can fill out our online enquiry form where a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly.

For many years, guests and family members have used flowers as a way of expressing their condolences at funerals. Most commonly used on top of the coffin, beautiful wreaths and arrangements can also be sent as a gift. It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to funeral flowers, which is why we’ve created this blog post. Below, we take you through the different types of flower arrangements and what each flower represents.

What Are the Different Types of Flower Arrangements?

Floral arrangements can come in a wide range of different styles, with the most popular being sheaves, sprays and wreaths. Sheaves and sprays are a large bouquet which is laid flat onto the coffin. A wide range of colours, sizes and shapes are available to suit all kinds of budgets.

The biggest, and most distinctive flower arrangement is the floral tribute, which is used as a centrepiece at the funeral or in the window of the hearse. They’re usually chosen by members of the immediate family, as they’re personal to the deceased – sometimes spelling out their name or relationship to others, such as ‘mum’ or ‘dad’.

Popular Choices

It’s always the aim to create a flower arrangement that captures the essence of the loved one, so if they had a favourite flower or if there’s a flower that reminds you of them, it’s best to start from there. While you can choose any flowers that you’d like, here are some common flowers used at funerals: 

Lilies

Lilies, especially white stargazer lilies, are a very popular choice due to representing purity, innocence and rebirth. They also give off a distinctive smell, which often reminds people of special occasions such as Easter and Mothers day. 

Roses

Depending on which colour you use, roses can express multiple sentiments. For example, red roses are the classic symbol of love, yellow represents friendship and white roses denote purity and innocence. Roses also work well alongside other flowers, in addition to leaves, berries and sprigs for those wanting a larger floral arrangement. 

Daffodils

Daffodils often appear on the coffin at funerals because of their association with rebirth and new beginnings. These blooms indicate the end of a long winter of grief and pain and the beginning of joy, peace and understanding. While daffodil breeds can vary, many of these yellow flowers feature six petals, which many view as a harmonic number. 

Cope Memorials 

At Cope Memorials, we specialise in producing high-quality headstones and memorials. We are a team of highly skilled professionals, with over 115 years of experience passed down from family members. If you’re in the need of reliable and professional stonemasons, we’d be more than happy to help. Please give us a call today on 01773 602 187. Alternatively, you can complete our online enquiry form where a member of our team will be in contact shortly.

After losing a loved one, a funeral is a chance to celebrate their life, and there are many ways to bring personality into the service. Funeral readings, often referred to as a eulogy, offer family and friends the opportunity to express their feelings and memories that honour the deceased. When being asked to give a reading at a funeral, it can be difficult to know what to say. In this blog post, we take you through some things to consider when writing a funeral speech.

Remember to Introduce Yourself

At the beginning of the reading, it’s important to introduce yourself and say how you know the deceased. Some attendees at the funeral may not know who you are, so it’s wise to give some context. 

Keep It Short

For most, funerals are emotionally draining, so there’s no need to speak for a long period of time as emotions are understandably heightened. Keeping a reading short and sweet will hold the room’s attention, in addition to making it easier to get through. If you’re wanting to read a poem, it’s recommended to keep it to two or three verses. Additionally, it’s important to add that most funeral venues will allocate a specific time for a funeral. If you’re still unsure, the funeral director will be able to direct you.

Personalisation

While it’s common to include funeral readings that have been prepared by someone else, it can be fitting to write them yourself, as it allows you to be personal. This may include stories of the deceased, your memories with them, their personality – all of which will provide comfort to family and friends in the audience.

Cope Memorials

Here at Cope Memorials, we hold over 100 years of passed down experience working as stonemasons, so you’re sure to receive the highest quality memorials and headstones. We also pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service throughout the whole process, as we know how difficult this time can be. If you require a high quality memorial or headstone, please give us a call on 01773 602 187. Alternatively, you can complete our online enquiry form where a member of our team will be in contact with you shortly.

As we start the new year, it can be a great opportunity to get things in order. This may include starting to think about your own memorial arrangements. With many family members being left with the hard task of planning their loved ones memorial or headstone, with preplanning, you can create a design that you truly want. In this blog post, we take you through a few things to consider:

Location

The location of your memorial is very important, with many people deciding to have it placed near to where they live or grew up. Additionally, with loved ones visiting regularly, it’s best to choose a cemetery which is easily accessible. It’s key to add that all cemeteries have different rules and regulations regarding placement, size, material etc, so it’s best to plan ahead if you’re wanting a specific design.

Inscriptions

It’s common for families to struggle with inscriptions, especially when there were no wishes made by the deceased. To relieve some of the burden off your loved ones, it’s beneficial to think about what you may want on your headstone. Usually, headstones will be inscribed with your name, birth and death date and a few words to pay tribute, either with a poem, song or completely original wording. 

Material

The main purpose of your headstone is to serve as a lasting tribute, which is why materials like granite and marble are used, due to being highly durable. Other materials can be used for non-conventional headstones. Click through to one of our previous blog posts where we discuss the different materials used for headstones and memorials. 

Cope Memorials 

Here at Cope Memorials, we are a family-run memorial maker with over 110 years of experience working in our trade. We pride ourselves on providing high quality memorials and headstones which are produced by highly-skilled stonemasons. In addition to this, we endeavour to provide excellent and considerate customer service to all of our clients. Give us a call today on 01773 602 187, or you can fill out our online enquiry form where a member of our team will be in touch shortly.

Throughout the years of working as stonemasons, we tend to notice and speak to our clients about the different funerals that they are having for their loved ones. It seems that the ‘traditional’ funeral, where attendees wear black and the service follows a religious path, could be taking a shift. In this blog post, we take a look at some alternative funeral ideas:

Celebration of Life

A celebration of life is a gathering of friends and family where individuals can reminisce on the good times and celebrate the life of their loved one. It can be held after a funeral, or instead of. For those who choose to have a celebration of life, families tend to have a direct cremation beforehand. Instead of having to focus on the sadness of saying goodbye, a celebration of life is a positive send off. 

Unique Funeral Locations 

While most aren’t aware that it’s possible to hold a funeral at different locations, it’s certainly increased in popularity. As long as you have the permission from the owner of the location, there are no rules on where a funeral can be held. Funeral options can include: burial at sea, at home, natural grounds and many more. 

Colourful attires 

A recent survey from the Co-op Funeral Care suggests that 87% of their funeral directors conducted a funeral where guests wore colourful outfits, with some being fancy dress themed. It’s very common for family and guests to wear their loved ones’ favourite colours, as it brings a sense of comfort and joy to an otherwise sad day. 

Cope Memorials

While funerals may be changing, a headstone and memorial plaque will always be a lovely way to remember your loved one. Here at Cope Memorials, we hold over 100 years of passed down experience in stonemasonry and pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service throughout the experience. If you require a high-quality headstone or memorial, please give us a call today on 01773 602 187. Moreover, you can fill out our online enquiry form where a member of our team will be in contact shortly.

Here at Cope Memorials, we know just how individual and personal memorials can be. When you lose someone, it can be comforting to some to celebrate their life with a memorial. Due to a wide range available in today’s society, we’ve created a guide where we go through some of the most favoured. 

Cremation memorials

Cremation urns are a popular memorial for most. Urns are decorative containers used to store your loved ones ashes. Usually in the shape of a vase, urns can be made from an array of different materials, such as wood, ceramic, stone, glass etc. They are usually kept at home, where they can later be scattered or buried if you choose to do so. 

Memorial Plaques

Memorial plaques provide a long-lasting memory of your loved one. The plaque can be placed as a standalone piece, or it can accompany another memorial such as a tree or bench. Typically made out of metal or stone, they feature inscriptions which have the person’s name, birth date and death date, but it can be completely personalised by you. If you’d like further advice on inscriptions for memorial plaques, just click through to this page. 

Headstone Memorials

Also known as a gravestone, a headstone is another long-term memorial that is placed over the grave to commemorate them. It also features inscriptions, with headstones being favoured if you’re wanting long transcripts, as there is more space than a memorial plaque. At Cope Memorials, we can also engrave detailed designs and images of your choice, just take a look at our current collection of headstone memorials. It’s important to mention that there is typically a gap in-between the burial and the placing of a headstone (6-12 months) as the soil needs to settle beforehand. 

Cope Memorials

No matter what memorial you’re wanting, we’re sure to be able to help here at Cope Memorials. As a family run business, we’ve been making headstones and memorials for over 115 years, offering high-quality work carried out by skilled craftsmen. Please get in touch with us today on 01773 602 187. Additionally, you can fill out our online enquiry form where a member of our team will be in contact shortly.

When you lose a loved one, it’s important to make sure that the following arrangements are dignified and as memorable as possible. It can be even more difficult to choose the ‘right’ headstone because it acts as a lasting memory of the one you’ve lost, and can often be visited by relatives and friends. There are many different styles of headstones, which we will discuss in this blog post. 

What Are Headstones?

Headstones have been used for many years to commemorate our loved ones, with tombstones dating back to around 3000 BC for the Roman and Celtic society. Stone memorials were originally large monuments which were built to remember a whole burial site, rather than an individual headstone that we see more commonly today. As discussed before, choosing the perfect headstone can be a challenging task, but thankfully, there are many different styles of headstones available, with most being able to be personalised. Below, we take a look at the most popular styles used within the UK:

Upright Headstones

This style of headstone is very traditional and timeless, as they’ve been used in the UK for hundreds of years. They are commonly fixed onto a concrete base, with an array of different choices for materials. However, the most common materials used for an upright headstone are granite, marble or limestone due to its durability and guarantee of lasting decades. Upright headstones can be crafted into a plethora of shapes, but they are most traditionally seen as an arc or oval shape. 

Flat Headstones

Flat Headstones are usually rectangular, and have a choice of being flush with the ground, or moderately raised on an angle to allow water to run off the headstone. They can withstand locations that have poor weather conditions, due to mainly being made from granite or bronze. Similarly to upright headstones, they are a good choice if you’re wanting to engrave a lot of words or images, due to the space available on both styles. 

Full Length Kerb Headstones

Kerb Headstones lie flat on the ground and have a rectangular edge covering the whole grave’s perimeter. They usually feature a headstone as well, which is commonly made of the same stone as the kerb, but it can be different if preferred. The biggest advantage of full length kerb headstones is that they provide more space for personal expression and gifts. For example, friends and family can place numerous flowers, candles and teddys which add a personal finish to the grave. 

If you’d like to see more styles of headstones, take a look through our extensive collections. 

Cope Memorials

Here at Cope Memorials, we have over 100 years of experience working within the industry, and are experts in the field of stonemasonry. If you’re still struggling to find the perfect headstone for your loved one, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us where we will happily discuss options with you. Just give us a call on 01773 602 187, or fill out our online enquiry form where we will get back to you shortly.