Cemeteries and crematorium
Cemeteries
There are three cemeteries in the borough and the cemetery office is based at Bury Cemetery. The office opening hours are Monday to Thursday 8am to 3.30pm and Fridays 8am to 1pm. Bury Cemetery operates a strict appointment system so you must make an appointment before visiting.
The cemetery gates open 8am and close 6pm in winter and open 8am and close at dusk in summer.
Please read our Cemetery regulations before visiting.
Headstone safety
All headstones are the responsibility of the grave owners. However, we are responsible for safety in our cemeteries, and we check each headstone once every five years. This work is carried out by trained officers, and headstones that are unsafe are carefully laid down. Where possible, we tell the person who owns that grave, or their friends or family. We need to do this because elsewhere in the country people have been injured, or even killed, by headstones toppling over. See Information and advice for grave owners and Mason registration scheme.
The three cemeteries in the borough are
- Bury Cemetery, St Peter's Road Bury. Provides for burials of various religious groups. There are separate areas for Jewish and Muslim communities, babies, and young children and for burying ashes.
- Ramsbottom Cemetery, Cemetery Road Ramsbottom. Our smallest cemetery and provides for different religious groups and have separate areas for ashes, and for babies and young children
- Radcliffe Cemetery, Cemetery Road Radcliffe. Has an area set aside for 'green' burials and an ashes plot. Green burials are where a tree is planted instead of laying a headstone, and environmentally friendly coffins can be used
Crematorium
East Lancashire Crematorium, Cemetery Road Radcliffe M26 4EU, is privately-operated by Dignity Plc. It is situated within the boundary of Radcliffe Cemetery and provides comfortable surroundings, a garden of remembrance and an ornamental pond. See Dignity Funerals - East Lancashire Crematorium.
Neighbouring crematoriums outside of the borough of Bury
- Agecroft Cemetery and Crematorium, Langley Road, Pendlebury, Salford, M27 8SS. See: Salford City Council - Agecroft cemetery
- Blackley Cemetery and Crematorium, Victoria Avenue, Blackley, M9 8JP. See: Manchester City Council - Manchester cemeteries and Blackley crematorium
- Overdale Crematorium, Overdale Drive, Chorley New Road, Bolton, BL1 5BU. See: Bolton Council - Overdale crematorium
- Rochdale Cemetery and Crematorium, Bury Road, Rochdale, OL11 4DG. See: Rochdale Council - Cemeteries and crematoriums