Choosing a Memorial - Kenneth A Fraser Ltd

Traditional and modern memorials

Kenneth A Fraser Ltd offers a wide range of traditional and modern memorials made of granite, marble, slate, limestone and York stone. We cover Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire, Manchester and North Yorkshire.

Long-lasting, multi-colored granite memorials

Granite is the most durable and popular stone used in the manufacturing of memorials. It can be supplied in the following finishes;

Rustic (natural, rough edged)

Sanded (smooth, matt finish)

Part polished (gloss, polished face of headstone and top of base, remainder of memorial sanded)

All polished (all visible surfaces gloss polished)

All-polished memorials are the most resistant to weathering and can be expected to maintain their original appearance for more than 50 years after being fixed in the cemetery.

Granite is available in almost every colour imaginable from white to black, red to green and also in various multi-colour shades. Some of the popular colours include Khammam ebony (dense black), deep dark grey, speckled dark grey, Glenaby (medium grey), Karin (light grey), Paradiso (black, pink or grey multicolour), Balmoral (red), emerald pearl (pearlescent green or black), blue pearl (pearlescent blue/ or grey), blue-brown pearl, fern green, lavender blue (light blue or grey), Peterhead (pink), Sherwood (green) and Kashmir (white).

Slate, limestone, York stone and marble memorials

Slate is available in Rustic, Fine Rubbed and Combined (fine rubbed faces, rustic back and sides) finishes. Lakeland slate occurs in light sea green, dark olive green and blue colours whereas Welsh slate is dark grey in colour. Slate memorials can be made to any size or shape. They are also available as natural boulders with smooth lettering panels or faces.

Marble comes from the Carrara region of Italy and is white in colouring with random grey veining. Marble memorials invariably have a fine rubbed finish.

Limestone can be made with Fine Rubbed or Combined finishes and is cream.

York stone is a light brown or sandy colour and suitable for Fine Rubbed and combined finishes.

Elegant memorial ornamentation

In addition to lettering on the headstone, we can also etch or carve some beautiful and elegant ornamentation into the memorial of your choosing. Polished granite is suitable for etched or grit blasted designs which can vary in complexity from simple roses and V-cut outlines to elaborate etchings producing photographic detail. Any conceivable design can be etched into granite with first-class results;

Badges or emblems

Reproductions of photographs

Sketches or pictures from magazines or books

Marble, limestone, York stone and slate are suitable for deeper, relief carvings and figures as they are unable to take a high polished finish.

Headstone shapes

From a simple rectangle to a heart or teddy bear, we can make memorials in any shape or outline. Flower container holes are usually bored through the memorial base to hold aluminium flower vases. Vases can be inserted in the centre, either side or both sides of the base as per your requirement. Alternatively, any memorial can be supplied without a container hole. Contact us now to discuss your requirements.

Headstone sizes

Memorials can be produced in any size, but local cemetery and churchyard regulations usually have maximum and occasionally minimum dimensions permitted. The 2 most popular sizes are as follows;

Standard: Headstone 27”x21”x3”, Base 24”x12”x3” (30” overall height)
Large: Headstone 30”x24”x4”, Base 30”x12”x4” (34” overall height)