54
The ICCM Journal | Autumn 2021 | V89 No. 3
cannock chase crematorium opens its doors! Design and Service at Cannock Chase Crematorium
On a bright morning in April, an immaculate horse drawn hearse led a dignified funeral cortege for the first service at the new Cannock Chase crematorium. For the crematorium manager, Jo Walker, it was the culmination of months of hard work and the long-awaited chance to deliver on the Horizon philosophy of providing an exceptional experience for bereaved families in the area. Cannock Chase is the second crematorium operated by Horizon Cremation following the opening of the first, award winning facility, at the Clyde Coast in 2019. A third, at the Hurlet in East Renfrewshire will open towards the end of this year. The crematorium’s design has been driven by a belief that the way we say goodbye has a significant impact on our ability to move on and live with grief. Much of that experience comes down to having caring and thoughtful staff who deliver exceptional service to the bereaved. However, the company’s philosophy is that the funeral experience begins with the design of the building and its grounds. Cannock Chase crematorium is situated on a 12-acre, former open cast coal mine site on the edge of Cannock. When mining ceased in the 1980s, the site was left to nature and so the Horizon team inherited a wilderness of wildlife and semi mature self-planted trees and grassland. Their approach was to disturb only where they had to, and the result is a crematorium, with its car park and formal gardens, that is set against the backdrop of nature. Now the construction workers have departed, herds of deer are regular visitors to the site providing a special moment for mourners looking out of the ceremony hall’s large picture window. The building was designed by architect Ken Robertson of Robertson Design Practise who brought with him experience of Horizon’s facility on the Clyde Coast. He knew that the basic footprint of the building would be the same – a tripartite structure with a ceremony hall in the middle flanked by a large waiting room on one side and a cremator room and office block on the other. This is different from the traditional crematorium design. The coffin sits at the front and centre of a light, spacious ceremony hall which accommodates 140 mourners, behind the coffin is a large picture window framing a view across the site - the window through which the site’s deer are now frequently spotted. This arrangement means that
