Families are furious about desecration of graves at Honor Oak Crematorium
BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk
Families whose relatives are buried in a graveyard are furious it is being landscaped, sweeping aside their memorials.
They are also fuming that town hall officials only contacted them, they claim, when the work was already started at Honor Oak Crematorium, which is part of Camberwell New Cemetery in Brenchley Gardens.
Scores of memorials are affected in bed 80. Relatives are complaining to staff about having to make new arrangements to mark the graves or tributes to their loved ones.
But Southwark council insists it is the only way to make sure there is enough room to bury all the borough’s deceased residents.
The controversy comes after months of fury among conservationists at plans to bury bodies by cutting down trees in Camberwell Old Cemetery Woods to create the space.
Friends of Camberwell Cemeteries said: “We need these wild sanctuaries of natural beauty which provide places to walk, explore, and find peace and quiet, as well as for their history and the wildlife we can enjoy there.”
Now families are fuming that memorial they paid for are being wiped out.
Janet Priestnall, whose parents Francis and Joyce Priestnall are remembered there with a tree in Bed 80, said: “I am so distressed over this.
The council plans to desecrate people’s remains. Asking people to contact them to discuss a matter when officials have already decided the issue is despicable.
“I strongly feel that they are riding roughshod over people’s feelings. I contacted the cemeteries department last month to discuss the issue, only to find that the plan is already under way and the works will commence in October.
“When I asked to speak to the person handling this I was told they were on leave. “How convenient for them to be away when the letters were sent out, leaving the office staff to deal with the incoming calls of which I was told there were many.
“I myself was extremely upset at the thought of my parents’ remains being disturbed in this manner as I am sure was everyone else who had a memorial in bed 80.
“The crematorium was in contact on September 27 by phone and has confirmed that the upheaval will go ahead regardless of my wishes or those of other people affected by the works.
“The whole crematorium is dotted with signs on most of the beds asking people to contact the office to discuss the issue. “Why they bother to do this when the plans are already in place baffles me.
“They have already gone to law to find their rights regarding ashes and assured me I have no legal claim to the place where my parents remains are, unlike a burial site.”
Her parents were born and lived in Peckham and she lived there until she retired two years ago after her father passed away in 2015 – her mum was the first to be interred there in 2003.
Their ashes were laid to rest with a rose tree. But these will now be moved.
Now living in Hampshire, she still regularly visits the crematorium. “Why is there any need to disturb this bed when there are plenty of other unused areas at the crematorium?” she said. “For instance, the overgrown, green slimed pond on the other side of the road to Bed 80.
“Nobody can go there as it is so dank and smelly. No benches are placed there to sit, so might this not be an opportunity to fill in this unused pond, clean up the area and use that as the proposed area for reflection.
“At the same time this would improve an eyesore without causing distress to the people whose love ones are going to be dug up and moved heavens knows where.
“It had given my father peace of mind to know where he would be resting.
“But the council has now taken away any comfort I had in knowing this. I dread to think where they will know be cramming their rose tree.”
Another family member whose mother passed away is Nichola Carroll, who tweeted: “I’m disgusted that @lb_southwark have decided to relocate my mums memorial at #honoroakcrematorium Is anyone else affected? It’s a special place for my family and we pay for it to be there.”
Councillor Richard Livingstone, cabinet member for environment, transport management and air quality, said: “Work is ongoing to improve Honor Oak Crematorium and create new burial and memorial space for the future, as well as creating a more pleasant, peaceful and well-maintained site for families, but we are very aware that this work can have an impact on people who visit the memorials of loved ones in this location.
“We are doing our best to respond to any concerns and we are very sorry for any upset this causes.”
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I went to the crem on Monday for a funeral and while I was there I went to my mums bench and it was gone, we looked all over for it and was told by a staff member that a load of them had been disposed of. So upset about this
That is a complete and utter shambles – I like yourself would be so very upset – my dear mother and father have memorials up there and I am yet to go there to find out my fate – but believe you me I won’t be leaving quietly – why don’t they just leave our loved ones alone 😡😡
My dads bench and two brothers ashes are now being moved they have been
There for than 28 years, for no reason what ever the bench is in perfect condition, they want to remove all benches and then are offering everyone a new one to rentso it’s all about money not space, so don’t be fooled about the space as they want to rent you one on the same place as the old one. This is heart breaking after 28 years of my fathers resting place that will not exist from November 2018.
I went to our families bench to find it had been tucked away at the back! Moved from the spot where all there ashes had been laid. The spot where it should had been had been tarmacked over!! Heart breaking
My grandparents and one of their son and daughter are there on the boarder near the road i don’t know if that is the plot my aunty who as paid for the stones there with her other brothers and sisters when they were alive she is now 95 years old and as lost her eye sight my sister and I live near there when she cames back from holiday will go up there my nan died in the war and my granddad when I was 18 months old i am now 62 years old it hurts
I’m not happy as my father and my grandparents are in that crematorium
There’s plenty of burial space in the crematorium’s adjoining ‘recreation ground’ which historically was laid out as land for Southwark burials. While unused that burial land became a ‘recreation ground’ through Lewisham residents gradually infiltrating upon the site and taking ownership of the extensive plot. Why that land can’t be reclaimed for its original burial use is a municipal mystery. It’s probably to do with ancient ‘squatting rights’ or some such bygone law where land left idle for years that is then used by locals recreationally can’t then be taken back by the owners.
Surely any cremated remains that are removed and reburied, the method of disposal should be made an amendment to the original register of cremations or if further back than the original register had to be retained by law, an entry in the present register should be made.
This of course does nothing to take away the hurt, but it would indicate that those persons whose remains are moved were not forgotten.
I have a memorial bench in the crematorium for my Dad,Mum and Sister and have just found out that it has to be removed by August as apparently they were only leased for 10 years, this is absolute rubbish, I spoke to someone in the office at the crematorium who was very matter of fact the bench is going wether I like it or not, I am heartbroken I’m the only one left from my family and would put flowers on the bench regularly, where do I go now.