Unique and unusual headstones

I have been making pebble headstones for many years. I think the first pebble headstone I made was for a child, and pebble headstones continue to be very popular when commemorating a child or baby. This is perhaps because they have a softness, with no hard edges, and they are wonderful to touch. The stones have a smooth, honed surface, with a certain warmth, and for parents, being able to touch and run their hands over the headstone can be comforting.

Pebble headstones can be shaped from any material, although slate and Aurisina are most popular. I have every headstone individually made, so we can make the headstone the right size to fit the inscription or regulations of a churchyard or cemetery. Often children's headstones need to be smaller.

This elegant and tall pebble headstone features a line carving of a bird, and organic lettering which echoes the energy and freedom of the carving.

The following pebble headstones are both made from slate, the first from green slate, the second from Cumbrian blue grey slate. You can see the subtle difference in colour.

The following unique and beautiful pebble headstones both feature a hole in the top. These headstones are both made from Aurisina limestone, and the hole itself is smooth and curved so that it echoes the surface of the rest of the headstone. We tend to paint the lettering on Aurisina with a light wash of light brown paint to enhance the readability of the inscription, although it still looks very natural.

This beautiful and captivating headstone has a hole with flat edges, gilded with gold leaf, which pick up the colours of the autumn foliage and the hole allows a visitor to glimpse into the countryside beyond.

These slate headstones both feature an epitaph at the very bottom of the headstone, encouraging the visitor to move closer to read the text.

A carving can greatly enhance a headstone design and often conveys meaning beyond words. The second headstone is a wonderful example of how the back of a headstone can be used for an epitaph and carving. This also features some gilded stars and an epitaph from Tolkein's Lord of the Rings.

These small pebble headstones are delicate, soft and gentle and we use italics for the epitaph. The second headstone shows how the top of the headstone can be used even though it is carved, this pebble being slightly thicker than most to allow for this lettering on the top. The headstone on the left sits on a base. This was a requirement of the cemetery, but whenever possible we install our pebble headstones straight into the ground without a base.