Creating a lasting tribute that honours the life of your loved one is a personal journey. With care and dignity, we are here to guide you every step of the way, offering an extensive range of beautifully crafted memorials from local stonemasons, available in a range of styles, materials and finishes to suit every preference and budget. By using our team, every detail is handled with precision and respect, ensuring a fitting tribute that commemorates the life it represents.
As an established team, we handle every stage of the process, from design to placement, working with skilled stonemasons to ensure a seamless experience. Beginning with an initial brief, a design preview is created to illustrate the shape, lettering and dates, fully compliant with all relevant local authority regulations. Before engraving, you will have the opportunity to meet with us to review the layout, making any adjustments to the inscription or design, as desired.
Our teams can provide a wide range of standard and themed headstones for cemetery graves, made from a choice of materials which include granite, marble, slate and stone. Most of our headstones are made from highly durable granite, available in many colours, from greys to pinks, to blacks and browns. Granite is one of the strongest materials for headstone use, designed and crafted to last decades.
Every local authority and individual cemetery has regulations regarding the types of headstone it will allow, including limitations on the headstone style, the overall proportions as well as details in the inscription. Our dedicated teams are experienced in understanding all the local rules, ensuring that all memorial plans are fully approved with the local council and burial authority before any memorial work is started.
Owned and maintained by the Church of England, churchyards often have very specific rules surrounding the style and placement of headstones in their grounds. Unlike a cemetery, where specifications and inscription details are generally more relaxed, churchyards do not usually permit heart or otherwise shaped headstones, and many will insist on stone or light coloured marble, rather than polished granite.
Specifications for churchyard gravestones tend to be more focussed around natural tones and religious shapes, designed to complement the other stones that are already installed in the grounds, and inline with other churchyards in the dioceses. Our teams will be always be happy to liaise with local churches on your behalf to check the rules and regulations that need to be honoured before choosing a memorial.
Even if your loved one has a cremation instead of a burial, they can still have a headstone, either on a plot at a cemetery or through interment in a bereavement garden. Most crematoriums have a dedicated area for memorials, and local churchyards and cemeteries usually have plots for cremated remains, where a memorial or headstone can be placed in memory, sometimes near to relatives and family members.
Cremation memorials are often a lot smaller than headstones used for burials, and usually contain a single or double vase, or space for mourners to leave flowers and tributes. When arranging for a cremation memorial, it is important to check with the crematorium, cemetery or bereavement garden to find out whether there are any restrictions on what memorials are allowed, where they can be placed and the type of inscription.
A larger alternative to the traditional lawn headstone, kerbset memorials cover the full grave and are one option that you might want to consider when choosing an appropriate headstone for your loved one. Kerbsets are often chosen to make a gravestone stand out, or for larger families where more flowers or tributes may be left for the deceased. Some styles of kerbset allow for the central area to be filled with coloured stones, natural chippings, plants and shrubs, whilst others come with a matching cover slab or vases.
Also known as a kerbed headstone, kerbsets often allow more space for inscriptions and tributes, allowing families to get more creative with the design. You could opt for an additional footplate with your kerbset, allowing space for another inscription, or you could go with a different decorative feature entirely. If you have a specific idea in mind for a kerbset, or require a specific shape, style or material, please do let us know and we can ensure you have all the options available before making a choice.
Based from our Gainsborough showroom, our memorial team offers clear and compassionate guidance from the first enquiry, helping families choose a fitting tribute with confidence and reassurance. We manage each stage of the process with care, ensuring memorials are prepared, crafted and installed to a consistently high standard. Whether discussing design options or arranging a visit to the showroom, we are here to support you throughout. If you would like to speak to us about a memorial, we are available to provide honest, practical advice.
Lucy joined Cliff Bradley Memorials in November 2024 as our Memorial Office Manager, bringing a strong background in customer service and sales from her time in hospitality. She supports the team with daily administration and guides families through their memorial enquiries with a calm and attentive approach. Outside of work, Lucy enjoys time with her children and has completed the 46 mile Chesterfield Canal walk.
Rhianne joined the company in May 2025 after more than a decade working in the travel industry, taking on the role of Memorial Consultant. She supports families with a professional and caring approach, helping them choose a suitable memorial with support from the outset. In her spare time, Rhianne enjoys Super Sunday football with her son and has a long standing interest in crystals and travel.
Ady has worked in stone masonry for several years and joined the memorial team bringing valuable practical experience to the role. He gained his BRAMM memorial fitters licence in March 2025 and supports families by ensuring memorials are installed safely and to a consistently high standard. Outside of memorial work, Ady enjoys keeping active and previously spent ten years as a retained firefighter in Epworth.
Morgan has been a friend of the Bradley family since birth but recently joined the company as a Memorial Services Operative. He has an excellent knowledge of music that spans far beyond his years, regularly impressing his colleagues with his varied understanding of genres and artists. Morgan has been working very hard in recent months to achieve his driving license and saving up towards purchasing his first car.
One of two Company Directors, Stuart grew up helping the Bradley family when they acquired the Heaton Street funeral home in 1996. He left his role working for local schools to join the Cliff Bradley team as a Facilities Manager. Since then, Stuart’s role has evolved into Business Development and Memorials Director which he enjoys enormously. In his spare time, Stuart has two horses which he enjoys taking care of.
Following extensive renovation and refurbishment, our dedicated memorial showroom on Trinity Street in Gainsborough is now open to families seeking a calm and welcoming space in which to view headstones and tributes. Designed to reflect the same standards found within our funeral homes, it provides a comfortable setting for private discussions, design choices and memorial consultations.
Our showroom features a range of styles, materials and finishes, including examples crafted by our network of local stonemasons, all supported by our BRAMM registered fitters to ensure accuracy and safety during installation. We hope this space offers families a reassuring environment in which to explore options at their own pace, guided by our experienced team. Memorials with care, contact us today.
With a proud sixty year history, our funeral directors will care for your loved one as if they were our own, our family caring for yours. Cliff Bradley & Sons is an appointed representative of Golden Charter Limited trading as Golden Charter Funeral Plans, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN:965279).
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