Henley-on-Thames Town Council Cemetery Case Study

Henley-on-Thames Town Council future proof their cemetery with a new online interactive map and burial administration system.

Find out how Henley-on-Thames Town Council updated their cemetery map to an online interactive map linking to a burial administration system.

Introduction

Henley-on-Thames is a picturesque riverside town and civil parish on the River Thames, previously voted by The Times as one of the best places to live in the English countryside.

Fairmile Cemetery, managed by the council, has provided a tranquil and picturesque place of remembrance since 1868.

The Town Council found that their digital map of Fairmile Cemetery, created in 2011, was not up to date. Relying instead on the site’s original paper maps, which had been kept regularly annotated, was costing the council time as staff would need to locate these maps before providing information to the public or ground staff.

They also wished to upgrade their burial record keeping to a full burial administration system that better suited the size of the council and the number of interments carried out annually.

The Challenge

The council carried out a review of their cemetery processes and put together a list of requirements needed to improve the management of the cemetery and burial records.

Accuracy
The new map should reliably show the grave locations in both old and new cemeteries. The layout in the Old Cemetery was inaccurate in places, particularly regarding the cremation plot layout which had since expanded, and graves curving around the cemetery walls.
Accessibility
An online system was preferred to ensure easy access and information sharing with the council team and also with the public.
Improved Management Tools
A burial administration system, with reporting and calendar features.
Future Proof
The need to easily keep the map and records up to date and quickly know how many grave spaces were available. The graves in the New Cemetery needed remapping to allow more space per plot than the original grid system had originally allowed for.

The Solution

After carefully researching the various burial administration systems available the council chose Pear Technology to update the map and Edge IT Systems to update the council’s burial record management systems.

The map would be hosted online on the HeritEdge system, developed by Edge and Pear to link cemetery maps to Edge IT System’s burial administration system, Epitaph. This would enable the map and records to be accessible anywhere with an internet connection.

Sheridan Jacklin-Edward, clerk of the council, was impressed with Pear and Edge’s competitive pricing and felt that the support service offered was better than other tenderers. The council’s familiarity with the system would also help ensure a smooth rollout.

Aerial Imagery and Ordnance Survey Map Data

Fairmile Cemetery would be remapped using a combination of both aerial imagery and Ordnance Survey Mastermap data.

The aerial imagery would enable Pear to plot grave location with more accuracy, aligning plots with the visible grave layout. It would also offer contextual information to the end user such as trees, headstones. It would also be more familiar to members of the public used to using Google Maps and other similar apps.

The detailed Ordnance Survey Mastermap background would offer a clearer view of the overall grave layout which some users may prefer.

Aerial ImageryOS Mastermap

Experienced and knowledgeable cemetery mapping

Pear’s 14+ years of experience creating cemetery maps using our powerful GIS software, Ordnance Survey map data and various styles of original source maps (from Excel ‘maps’ to Victorian paper maps) meant that where tree canopies obscured headstones we would be able to fill in the gaps.

Henley-on-Thames New Cemetery Aerial Imagery

New Cemetery - Aerial ImageryNew Cemetery - OS Mastermap

Plotting unmapped plots in the New Cemetery

The New Cemetery would also be mapped to the council’s new plot size specifications, providing information about how many plots would be available in the future.

Mapping the columbarium

Pear suggested including the council’s columbarium on the digital map to enable them to easily locate and manage the niches in the same way as graves and cremation plots.

Accessible and always up to date records

The link to Edge’s Epitaph burial administration system would keep burial records on the map completely up to date. The full details are easily accessible to council staff using Epitaph, which also links back to the online HeritEdge map so graves can be quickly and easily located.

GDPR Compliance

The burial details displayed in HeritEdge are only those allowed to be in public domain ensuring the site is GDPR compliant.

The Results

See the map in action!

In December 2024 Henley on Thames made their interactive cemetery map public. You can search the map by visiting their website at https://www.henleytowncouncil.gov.uk/services/cemetery-columbarium and clicking the link under the Search Burial Records heading.

What was the mapping process like?

Judith Smith, the council’s Estates Officer said ‘the process of checking and reconciling graves involved many visits to the cemetery. However, the result is an accurate map and confidence that the graves are correctly located. Support and communication from Pear were excellent. The draft maps provided and instructions for checking them were clear, with queries marked in red and subsequent amendments returned promptly’.

How has the interactive online cemetery map changed the way the council works?

Judith added:-

Using the Epitaph system has meant that our records are quick and easy to access, and the map is automatically updated, reducing the possibility of error.
Having the map online means any member of staff can check grave information at any time rather than physically checking one paper copy in the office, which saves time dealing with cemetery enquiries.
The process has allowed us to remap the new part of the cemetery, providing wider spacing of graves and accurate information about how many are available.
Members of the public are able to search the map via the link on the Council’s website.

“Our Cemetery Warden regularly uses the map on his smartphone to find graves, check memorials and help visitors to the cemetery.”

Judith Smith, Estates Officer

GPS Plot Location Tool

The interactive online cemetery map can be accessed when onsite using a smartphone. The GPS Locate plot feature utilises the devices GPS capability which enables visitors to search records and easily walk to the chosen plot location.

Some Stats

There were 5859 graves on the original map and 7269 on the updated map.

24% increase
1410 new plots identified including 221 columbarium plots.

Keeping the map up to date

Henley-on-Thames Town Council are signed up to Pear’s Map Maintenance service which enables the council to request map amendments when required. The council can email Pear to request plot changes or additions which Pear can upload with no disruption to ongoing council business.

Useful Links and Information

See HeritEdge for yourself!

Please visit the sites below to see examples of HeritEdge interactive online cemetery maps:-

Useful Links

To request a no obligation demo or quote please contact Pear Technology, or Edge, at the links below and we will be happy to get in touch.

Products and Services Used

Ordnance Survey Mastermap

Ordnance Survey’s premium map data. Free to public sector users under the PSGA (Public Sector Geospatial Agreement).

UAV Aerial Imagery

Captured by drone at 2cm GSD (Ground Sample Distance)

Google Earth

Used by Pear Technology to assist with mapping the cemetery.

PearGIS

Pear Technology’s powerful GIS mapping software used by Pear to create the cemetery map.

HeritEdge

The final product:- the online interactive cemetery map linking to the burial records.

Epitaph

Edge IT System’s burial administration software.