History
Opening in 1938, the crematorium at Cheltenham was the 39th to be opened in the British Isles. Situated within 65 acres of grounds, the crematorium is the centrepiece of a large cemetery. The crematorium incorporates two chapels, the South Chapel, and the slightly larger North Chapel. A waiting area and visitor facilities had been added at a later date.
Two new burners were installed between 2009 and 2011. The company commissioned to install them, Crawfords, went into liquidation during construction. A total of 12 authorities had installed plant using Crawfords and almost all of them had reported significant problems.
Cheltenham was the only remaining authority to have not replaced their burners or built a new facility, and after only 6 years of service the burners were experiencing major problems. The crematorium had to close for two weeks in 2018 when thick black smoke started pouring from the facility. Ongoing maintenance issues resulted in the burners being taken out of service prematurely, with cremations taking place at other sites while services continued in the chapels.
In February 2019 a new crematorium facility at the cemetery opened. All services were moved to the new chapel, and the old crematorium was decommissioned.
Our Visit
We had a lovely day out in the sun after @SpiderMonkey found a news article about this place that very morning. We had never visited a crematorium before, so it was interesting to see the burners, although they are pretty modern. It hasn't been closed for long so looks pretty fresh.
Entrance and Waiting Areas
Exterior of the crematorium with the South Chapel to the left and North Chapel to the right
Entrance Hall
Remembrance Cloister
Modern waiting area
The North Chapel and Crematorium Burners
North Chapel (central) and the Crematorium (the part with a chimney)
The North Chapel
The coffins would be removed through the wooden hatch and taken to the burners
The burners weren't as interesting as I'd hoped
Back of the burners
Exterior of the North Chapel
The South Chapel
The South Chapel appeared to have been out of use for slightly longer, and had a few signs of decay (but not much!)
Exterior of the South Chapel
Inside the South Chapel
Again, a hatch to remove the coffin, this time into a small room between the two chapels. The only way to the burners from here was through the North Chapel, so I presume the CCTV monitor was so workers could check that no one was in the North Chapel before wheeling the coffin through.
Exterior of the crematorium with the South Chapel to the left and North Chapel to the right
Entrance Hall
Remembrance Cloister
Modern waiting area
The North Chapel and Crematorium Burners
North Chapel (central) and the Crematorium (the part with a chimney)
The North Chapel
The coffins would be removed through the wooden hatch and taken to the burners
The burners weren't as interesting as I'd hoped
Back of the burners
Exterior of the North Chapel
The South Chapel
The South Chapel appeared to have been out of use for slightly longer, and had a few signs of decay (but not much!)
Exterior of the South Chapel
Inside the South Chapel
Again, a hatch to remove the coffin, this time into a small room between the two chapels. The only way to the burners from here was through the North Chapel, so I presume the CCTV monitor was so workers could check that no one was in the North Chapel before wheeling the coffin through.
