Greenhaven Woodland Burial Ground


Greenhaven Woodland Burial Ground is a natural burial ground located in the village of Lilbourne, from the town of Rugby, England. It opened in 1994 and was the first privately owned natural burial ground in the country. Greenhaven is situated on of former agricultural land and originally catered for approximately 7000 plots, but as of 8 December 2008, roughly 5,000 of these remain.

Greenhaven’s Philosophy

In order to maintain as close to a natural environment as possible, Greenhaven:
The burial ground has no specific religious ties.

Media and awards

On 21 January 2005, Greenhaven director Nicholas Hargreaves took part in an interview about green burials for the BBC Radio 4 programme Changing Places: Pushing Up The Daisies. The burial ground also featured in The Breakfast Club show for BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire on 24 March 2006. In April 2000, Greenhaven won The New Natural Death Handbook Award 2000 for the Best Nature Reserve Ground in the UK. More recently, the burial ground was a finalist in the UK Cemetery of the Year Awards 2008.

The Future of Greenhaven

It is hoped that the site will be completely wooded by 2060 and passed over to a wildlife trust who will maintain it as a natural ecosystem.