Revitalising Hull’s Newest Cemetery for Future Generations
Priory Woods Cemetery in the beautiful leafy Hull suburb of Cottingham have worked hard with us to revitalise and furnish their grounds. Modernising tastes and the ever-growing secularisation of the deathcare industry demand a sleek contemporary aesthetic welcoming to everyone.
Hull Bereavement Services opened Priory Woods Cemetery in 2010 in anticipation of the closure of new burials at the historic Northern Cemetery in The Avenues area of the city. In 2023 the service came to us to create new unique features and areas to welcome visitors. A contemporary feel was the most important aspect of the design work. Feeling comfortable in a space that can traditionally make people feel uneasy or uncomfortable, especially children.
Woodland Walk
The Woodland Walk is a path running around the perimeter of the grounds. Winding through various areas such as the peace garden, the rose garden as well as natural meadows and pond areas. Along the trail are a range of granite sculpted “Dear Mum” characters and imagery on information boards educating children and adults alike about the nature areas.
Pointing the way throughout creating a cohesive journey are granite markers with the characters in porcelain. The Woodland Walk successfully guides you through the most scenic areas of the grounds.
Memory Garden
At the end of the Woodland Walk you will find the Memory Garden. A dedicated space for children to explore physically as well as exploring the meaning behind grieving in a healthy way.
One of the centre-pieces of the Memory Garden is the “Seasonal Forget-you-not Postbox” where letters can be posted to loved ones. The face can be changed to mark significant days and periods of the year such as Father’s/Mother’s Day and the different seasons. Also included within the memory garden are Dear Mum seating areas and a Memory Tree upon which memorial plaques can be bought for display.
Interactive “Barry Paragon” Children’s Feature
Requested along the path near to the (fenced off) rail line was an interactive feature where children can “race the train”. For this request we created a railway platform, signals and seating. The main feature of this area is stationmaster Barry Paragon - named for Hull’s main railway station, Paragon Interchange.
An information board tells the children when a train is about to pass through and describes the racing game. The idea behind this is to engage children with the area and see it as a fun place to play away from the, often, seriousness of a cemetery setting.
Indoor & Outdoor Friezes
Not everybody desires a traditional memorial, be that a headstone or a granite tower plaque. Our friezes are flat metal wall installations suitable for both indoor and outdoor purposes.
We installed four friezes in total. Inside you will find a bespoke frieze based on the Hull skyline featuring local landmarks such as the Humber Bridge and The Deep and two blossom trees. Outside we created a pet frieze in preparation for the crematoriums planned pet crematorium.
All of the friezes are designed to hold stylish porcelain plaques, offering customers a more budget-friendly alternative to traditional memorials.
We are very proud to have worked with a local cemetery to revitalise the beautiful grounds for the people of Hull to enjoy and find peace. The grounds are full of wonderful areas for adults and children alike providing education and comfort for personal grieving.
