ROSEHILL CREMATORIUM, DONCASTER 

NEW TREE MEMORIAL AND SANCTUM VAULT AREA 
 
During September 2018, The Columbaria Company visited Rosehill Crematorium, Doncaster to meet with the team to discuss their future requirements for above-ground cremated remains memorials. 
It was surmised that they wanted to develop a new area to house vaults from The Columbaria Company’s “Sanctum Range” and also a separate area to locate a “Willow Tree Memorial”. 
 
The ideal location for the granite/cor-ten steel memorial tree was identified as a flat, grassed lawn near to the point where mourners exited the chapel after the service. As with the chapel entrance, here was a spot where the tree would be seen most due to the natural gathering of people. 
 
For the location of the new Sanctum area, an existing area of relatively level lawn (with specimen Cherry trees) adjacent to the light road used by the funeral cortege when exiting the site was identified. 
 
With regards to the Willow Memorial Tree, the initial proposal was to simply install the product on a structural concrete foundation within the existing lawn, but it was later suggested that a hard-surfaced path should be installed up to (and around) the proposed tree to allow all-year-round access to the memorial. 
 
A full quotation for the supply and installation of the Willow Memorial tree and a drawing showing the structural engineer’s recommended concrete foundation was sent and an order was placed soon afterwards. 
 
Meanwhile, the customer appointed a competent groundwork contractor to undertake all site-clearance work, excavations, foundation, hard-landscaping and softworks needed to construct the infrastructure required as per The Columbaria Company’s design drawing and foundation details. 
 
The Willow Memorial Tree was installed directly on top of the concrete foundation in just one working day, including the attachment of the 300 no. granite leaves. 
These works were started during the summer of 2019 and completed soon after the installation of the Willow Memorial Tree by the application (by the groundworks contractor) of a resin-bonded gravel surface on top of the previously laid tarmacadam. 
 
Groundworks for the new Sanctum vault area commenced soon after the completion of the Williow Tree Memorial. 
 
Prior to these works starting, arborists were employed to remove an existing large Cherry tree that was past it’s best and in the centre of the proposed garden layout. Also, a “setting-out” drawing with dimensions was produced and a pre-contract meeting was arranged between The Columbaria Company and the appointed groundworks contractor to mark-out the proposed design on site using spray markers and string-lines and identify any potential issues before the ground was “broken”. 
 
This meeting required an additional drawing to be produced detailing how level “plateaus” could be created over the site to negate the need for “stepped” foundations as the existing ground sloped in various directions. 
 
By the Autumn of 2019, the groundworks were completed to a stage where it was possible for The Columbaria Company’s fixing team to commence installation of the Sanctum vault products and Barbican benches. 
 
Delivery of the products was made the last week of October 2019 and the installation process ran over two working weeks. 
 
Subsequent to the Columbaria being installed, the groundworks contractor returned to site to apply a layer of resin-bonded gravel to the tarmac footpaths. 
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