Clandon Wood Natural Burial Reserve, located just outside Guildford in West Clandon, is a Nature Reserve that will be in place for generations to come, providing extraordinary funerals in an extraordinary place. Ecologically sound and environmentally responsive, Clandon Wood has been designed and developed to be self-sustaining with balanced eco-systems that require minimal management to maintain stability.
Clandon Wood was officially opened by the Mayor of Guildford in June 2013 and is thirty one acres of native wildflower meadows with hundreds of yards of hedgerow, a wetland and a new lake in the centre. This delightful patch of land in the Surrey Hills is dedicated to the emotional responsibility of natural burial and has an environmental framework to support as many diverse ecosystems as possible.
Natural burial creates new sustainable environments for wildlife. Considered and traditional land management practices enable the land to be used for burials whilst creating a beneficial, natural resource for nature. The site is managed sustainably to encourage wildlife and is providing vital habitats for a number of wildlife species including rare skylarks that are nationally in decline and on the IUCN Red Species list, as well as the Small Blue butterfly (Cupido Minimus) that is rare in Surrey.
Using traditional woodland management practices, the developing woodland will become productive, securing its future and flourishing for generations to come. Recently planted native trees include oak, beech, hornbeam, lime and silver birch, which create a young flourishing woodland. Plus there are over forty eight species of wildflowers and grasses that give a flowering season well into the autumn, whilst the lake and wetland nourish the aquatic plants that balance and stabilise the water quality.
Natural preparation and traditional management techniques nurture and safeguard the landscapes of Clandon Wood so that they will endure long into the future. Authentic working practices maintain the meadow and after the flowers and grasses have seeded, the meadows are mown and cleared of hay, with sheep then grazing over winter in preparation for the next spring growth.
There are now over 300 natural burial grounds in the UK, but with a beautiful glass-walled pavilion and finely-appointed facilities to support funeral and memorial services, Clandon Wood offers a wholly natural alternative to conventional funerals.
Fran Hall, Operations Manager at Clandon Wood has said, “It is really important to us that Clandon Wood is recognised as a mainstream alternative choice for bereaved families, as natural burial is still sometimes seen as rather a ‘new age’ option. Natural burial provides an obvious solution to the growing shortage of burial space in local authority cemeteries and is a really responsible and ecologically sound alternative to cremation.”
James Martin
Images provided by Dani Maimone