Introduction
The Cemeteries & Crematorium section is a member of the Federation of British Cremation Authorities and Institute of Cemeteries and Crematorium Management.
Cemeteries & Crematorium Services provide a range of services including: Cemeteries, Crematorium, Gardens of Remembrance, Book of Remembrance, Memorials, Memorial Safety and Grounds Maintenance.
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Please note our Worsley Terrace office has now closed and is now located at:- Bereavement Services
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- Lower Ince Cemetery and Wigan Crematorium, Lower Ince - View Plan [PDF]
Cemetery Road, off Warrington Road, Lower Ince, Wigan WN3 4NL. Telephone number 01942 866455 - Westwood Cemetery - View Plan [PDF]
Westwood Lane, Lower Ince, Wigan WN3 4NX - Gidlow Cemetery - View Plan [PDF]
Wigan Road, Standish, Wigan WN6 0AD - Atherton Cemetery - View Plan [PDF]
Leigh Road, Atherton M46 0LX - Tyldesley Cemetery - View Plan [PDF]
Hough Lane, Tyldesley M29 8WN - Howe Bridge Cemetery - View Plan [PDF]
Lovers' Lane, Howe Bridge, Nr. Atherton M46 0PZ - Hindley Cemetery - View Plan [PDF]
Castle Hill Road, Hindley, Wigan WN2 4BU - Leigh Cemetery - View Plan [PDF]
Manchester Road, Leigh WN7 2NP. - Ince-in-Makerfield Cemetery - View Plan [PDF]
Warrington Road, Lower Ince, Wigan WN3 4NH
Cemeteries Opening Times
All Year Round – 9.00am
The entrance gates to cemetery grounds may be closed 15 minutes before the official closing time, to allow staff the ability to empty the cemetery of visitors prior to the cemetery gates being locked.
Cemeteries Closing Times
April - September (inclusive) - 8.00pm
October - March (inclusive) - 4.00pm
Crematorium Chapel & Book of Remembrance Access
The Crematorium chapel and Book of Remembrance are accessible when there are no cremation service taking place and when staff are on duty.
As a general rule between Monday & Friday staff are on duty between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
Access during the weekend is available every Saturdays except where there is a Crematorium Anniversary Service on the Sunday of the same week. In this case, access to the Crematorium Chapel and Book of Remembrance is available on the Sunday between 1.00pm and 3.00pm
Crematorium Anniversary Services take place between 3.15pm and 3.45pm on the following dates Sunday 20th January 2013, Sunday 17th February 2013, Sunday 17th March 2013, Sunday 21st April 2013, Sunday 19th May 2013, Sunday 16th June 2013, Sunday 21st July 2013, Sunday 18th August 2013.
Please note the dates of theses services may be subject to change.
We encourage members of the public to check with staff on 01942 866455 if you are planning to visit the Crematorium Chapel or the Book of Remembrance.
Book of Remembrance
Inscriptions can be placed on any special date, these can either be 2,5 or 8 line entries. There are options for 5 and 8 line entries of a floral emblem, badge, shield, crest or illuminated capitals. Full coat of arms is available (8 line only). Memorial card copies are available as a memento. The deluxe booklet has a number of pages for inscriptions, so further inscriptions may be added later.
Garden Tablets
These are 18” x 12” green terrazzo tablets with a metal container. They are placed in the new Gardens of Remembrance with a number and provision to bury two sets of cremated remains under the tablet with an inscription of your choice on a brass plaque. These tablets are on a 25-year lease.
Seat plaques
These are 9” x 2” brass plates with black paint fill with 2-pack stove enamel that can be placed on seats in the Garden of Remembrance and some Cemetery seats.
Grounds Maintenance
Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust undertakes grass cutting and other grounds maintenance duties throughout the Wigan Council Cemeteries. The current grounds maintenance contract is managed by the grounds direct service organisation on behalf of Wigan Leisure Culture Trust. The contract, which was subject to a successful tender, was awarded to the Grounds Maintenance service team. This was to provide an improved standard of specification, which will provide standards across the Cemeteries.
Wigan Council War Memorials
The Cemeteries have responsibility of management of 12 War Memorials at the following locations:
Leigh Cenotaph, Church Street, Leigh.
Wigan Cenotaph, Wigan Parish Church gardens.
Tyldesley Cenotaph, Tyldesley Cemetery, Hough Lane, Tyldesley
Atherton Cenotaph, Leigh Road, Atherton.
Standish Cenotaph, Wigan Road, Standish.
Golborne Cenotaph, Barn Lane, Golborne.
Ashton War Memorial, Wigan Road, Ashton.
Platt Bridge, War Memorial, Neville street.
Hindley Cenotaph Corner of Atherton Road & Liverpool Road.
Higher Ince, Smithy Green.
Ince Cenotaph, Ince Cemetery, Warrington Road, Wigan.
Independent Funerals
Although a funeral director will be invited to organise the majority of funerals, some people prefer to organise funerals themselves.
The funeral director typically organises the funeral by collecting and moving the body, arranging embalming and viewing of the deceased, providing a coffin, hearse and other elements. Carrying out these services relieves the bereaved from doing what they may feel are unpleasant and difficult tasks. Ultimately, the funeral director must operate commercially and in charging for his or her services, funerals can be expensive. In addition, the funeral director imposes him/herself on the arrangements to a greater or lesser degree.
Some people do not wish to use a funeral director. This can be for a wide variety of reasons. They may feel that passing the body of a loved one over to strangers is wrong. Some feel that personally organising a funeral is their final tribute to the deceased person. Others may simply wish to save money by doing everything themselves or may have used a funeral director on a previous occasion and found the experience unsatisfactory. Some may feel that funerals arranged with a funeral director are routine and processed, and some may desire an innovative and different approach. It is, of course, your right to make this decision without giving a reason.
Cremation
No one can be cremated until cause of death is definitely known. There are certain forms that require an original signature. Ashes can be scattered in a Garden of Remembrance or in a favourite spot. They can buried in a church yard or cemetery, or they can be kept. Arrangements can also be made to erect a plaque.
Exhumation
Exhumations are generally rare and tend to be traumatic for the family involved. They can take a long time to arrange and are usually expensive. For these reasons, it is best to consult with all the relatives before proceeding.
Exhumation of both buried and cremated remains generally requires a Home Office Licence. It is an offence to exhume any human remains without first obtaining the necessary lawful permissions. Additionally, an Environmental Health Officer must be present at the exhumation to ensure that there is no threat to public health. If the person is buried in Consecrated grounds, permission from the church must also be obtained. If the conditions of the licence cannot be met, or there are public health or decency concerns, the exhumation may not proceed.
Further Information
Please telephone (01942) 828993, or e-mail Bereavement Services.