The chapel is available for both religious (all faiths) and non-religious funeral and remembrance services. It offers seating for 47 people and has a sound system and induction hearing loop. An organ is also available for use by visiting organists. The Chapel can be booked either through your Funeral Director or direct with the Cemetery team and the cost of hire can be found in our fees and charges (PDF).
The Chapel is also open daily for those persons wishing to sit in quiet contemplation and remember loved ones.
The Friends are a small and welcoming group of volunteers who meet on the first and third Thursday of each month from 10 am to 12 noon and carry out simple but important tasks such as sweeping, weeding, trimming plants, and more. In addition to regular maintenance, the Friends hope to fundraise for the restoration of historic memorials and to research and share the stories of those buried there.
Membership is free, so if you’d like to make a difference and become part of this friendly group, please contact Mary Dobbs, Cemetery Manager, on 01582 891428 or email cemetery@dunstable.gov.uk.
If you would like to search for a particular grave space or you are looking to locate a grave as part of your family history research, please contact the Cemetery Office at 01582 891426 / 01582 891428 or email cemetery@dunstable.gov.uk.
When requesting a search, you will need to provide as much detail as possible but as a minimum you will need to provide the name of the deceased and the year or the decade that they passed away.
Please note that this is a free service and every effort will be made to provide you with the information within a week.
There is also some useful information held on the Dunstable and District Local History Society website, where it is possible to view burial records by section for the older parts of the Cemetery. Surnames of the deceased are held alphabetically.
More about Dunstable Cemetery
War Graves
The Cemetery is also home to 48 War Graves from both the First and Second World War Wars which are looked after and maintained by the War Graves Commission. If you would like to obtain more details about those buried in Commonwealth War Graves in Dunstable Cemetery, please contact the Cemetery.
Notable Memorials
There are also a number of notable memorials to local dignitaries, business leaders and others responsible for influencing the growth and development of the town. Lecterns have been erected adjacent to some of these graves to provide information about their lives and their contribution to Dunstable.
Natural Environment
Dunstable Cemetery is home to a wide range of trees, including Holly, Yew, Lime, Ash, Cherry, and mature Pines. These trees add to the peaceful character of the cemetery and provide valuable habitats for local wildlife. The large Pines, known as ‘Drovers Pines’ were likely planted as markers by herdsmen moving livestock to London along nearby Drovers Way. The cemetery also attracts many birds like Blackbirds, Robins, and Swifts, as well as Ravens and Red Kites. You might also spot Badgers, Foxes, Bats, and Squirrels. A wildlife information lectern is available on-site.
Victorian by design, Dunstable Cemetery has been in constant use for 160 years. The first burial took place on the 22 October 1861 when 4-year-old James Turney, the son of Thomas Turney “a groom of West Street” was interred.
The Cemetery has been managed and maintained by Dunstable Town Council since 1985 and rules and regulations are in place to support this management. The Cemetery Service is ICCM Charter for the Bereaved accredited and is managed in accordance with the Charter principles. In recent years the Council has been responsible for refurbishing the original Victorian cemetery chapel and increasing the size of the site.
The chapel was built in the 1860s and underwent a full refurbishment in 2009. It was re-dedicated by Cllr Patricia Russell on 22 September 2009. The Chapel also houses memorial plaques in memory of those Waterlow employees who gave their lives in both World War conflicts. The chapel is available for burial services (by prior arrangement) and is open daily for people to visit as a place for quiet reflection.
In earlier years the cemetery was separated into consecrated Church of England burial areas and non-consecrated areas for all other burials. The burial area which is currently in use for new burials is not consecrated; Church of England burials are conducted following a blessing of the plot, in accordance with Anglican requirements. There are also separate sections for the burial of children and the interment of cremated remains. In addition, a small area for memorial plaques has been created, and Sanctums are also available for the above ground interment of cremated remains. The Cemetery also has a Book of Remembrance on display which can be viewed daily.
Dunstable Town Council is very proud of the town’s heritage and takes great care and effort in managing a number of Dunstable’s main historical features. As part of this commitment, the Town Council owns and manages Dunstable Cemetery.
In 2017 Dunstable Cemetery achieved Green Flag status at the very first attempt. Green Flags are awarded to open spaces and Cemeteries which meet high standards of management and maintenance. Dunstable Cemetery is one of nearly 2000 Green Flag sites across the UK.
The Green Flag scheme is managed by Keep Britain Tidy. Achieving Green Flag status has helped keep the Town Council focused on the continuous development and improvement of this important and prestigious open space.
Dunstable Town Council has achieved ICCM Charter for the Bereaved accreditation to silver standard. Members of the public can be assured that organisations that have adopted the Charter are committed to providing excellent service designed to meet their needs.
In short, The Charter:
- seeks to generate interest in and educate people about bereavement. It also helps to influence the expansion of services and clarify the various roles and responsibilities of those involved.
- is a commitment to improving the service by confronting rather than disguising or ignoring death.
- is intended to define the rights of every individual who experiences bereavement. In achieving this aim, it also sets standards of service related to burial, cremation and funerals. It is a written statement of what can be expected and enables people to judge the quality of the service received.
- seeks to increase the range of choices and options available to the bereaved.
- seeks to enable the bereaved to arrange a meaningful funeral service with content that meets their own specific needs and requirements.
The Cemetery fees and charges set out in parts 1 to 6 show the full rates payable by non-inhabitants of Dunstable and the discounted rates payable by inhabitants of Dunstable at the relevant date, which in the case of an interment is the date of death and in any other case is the date on which the appropriate application is received.
A person is deemed to be an inhabitant if at the relevant date:
- Their ordinary place of residence was in Dunstable OR
- They died while resident in a hospital, nursing home, old people’s home or institution of any kind and their last place of residence has been within Dunstable OR
- They had moved away from Dunstable within the preceding twelve months, having been a resident throughout the previous five years
In the case of a person who is not an inhabitant of Dunstable but the Exclusive Right of Burial has already been granted at the discounted rate applicable to an inhabitant then the discounted rate will continue to apply.
For children’s grave spaces (up to and including 12 years of age) the discounted rate will apply in all cases.
For any burial fees listed below which would be applicable for children under the age of 18 and for stillborn babies after 24 weeks of pregnancy, as well as the interment of cremated remains where the burial or cremation has taken place in England after 23 July 2019, Dunstable Town Council will recover these costs from the Governments Children’s Funeral Fund.
Dunstable is made up of the following Central Bedfordshire Wards: Dunstable Central, Dunstable North, Dunstable South, Dunstable East and Dunstable West.
For Sat Nav users, our postcode is LU6 1PD.
The cemetery is a short walk from Dunstable town centre, approximately 10 minutes. There are car parking facilities on-site. The nearest train stations are situated in Luton and Leighton Buzzard. Bus stops are located directly outside the cemetery on West Street. You can visit us by public transport, cycling or walking.
