About Us

Crouch Valley Meadow located in the rural village of Althorne is family owned and run.​

We offer a natural alternative to traditional graveyards or crematoriums. We extend a proper and respectful burial to all individuals, whatever their religious or secular beliefs.

The meadow opened in 2004 with permission granted by the Local Planning Authority.

Our long-term aim is to ensure a well managed eco-green burial site where a meadow grave offers a return to nature – among wild flowers and native trees, with only the sounds of birds and small animals close by.
Crouch Valley Meadow’s management is committed to maintaining the Meadow as an area of natural beauty.

At Crouch Valley Meadow you can plant a memorial tree on the graves. These trees and the meadowland provide a natural habitat for the wildlife.

Members of ANBG
The principles on which the site has been established have been developed in close connection with the Association of Natural Burial Grounds and Essex County Council. We have made specific arrangements to ensure the long-term upkeep and maintenance of Crouch Valley Meadow and have ensured that the site will remain an environmentally friendly burial ground for all time. No grave will ever be re-used or disturbed. Those who lie here will rest in peace, forever.

We understand that the funeral of a loved one is a very personal event, and the way it is organized and managed should be the choice of the people involved.

We can help provide you with a complete funeral and burial service using local Funeral Directors, or you can simply choose to have the burial or interment of cremated remains at Crouch Valley Meadow as part of your own funeral arrangements. We offer plots for burials, ashes interments or the scattering of ashes within the grounds.

Rather than using a traditional headstone, graves can be marked by the planting of a memorial tree or by placing a simple wooden plaque.

We welcome and are happy to work with all Funeral Directors.

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