‘Down From London’ has a new meaning
06:00, 22 Aug 2026
Bristol Memorial Woodlands – creating a 100 acre wood
It’s long been a common theme that people from London move to the West of England for a better quality of life, but now the owner of a woodland is calling on Londoners to consider moving to the outskirts of Bristol after they die.
Christopher Baker, who founded Bristol Memorial Woodlands on farmland he owns, has highlighted a lack of space in cemeteries in London, and said Londoners should consider planning ahead and bagging a spot in a quiet and beautiful woodland
An audit by Sadiq Khan’s Greater London Authority revealed that three London boroughs – Camden, Hackney and Tower Hamlets – have already run out of space for burials, and another 17 local authorities will no longer have space for burials before the year 2040.
So Mr Baker has begun a rather unusual marketing strategy, trying to persuade Londoners to think about moving to the West Country after they die, to be laid to rest in the 100-acre site in South Gloucestershire, which he said has capacity for many years for both burial and the interment of ashes.
Bristol Memorial Woodlands is one of several non-traditional cemeteries in the West of England, where people can be buried in a woodland and have a tree planted as their grave marker rather than a standard headstone.
Mr Baker has turned his land near Bristol into an environmentally-friendly cemetery which has been set up in a sustainable way creating a natural woodland that is being managed now and into the future by an established charitable trust.
Bristol Memorial Woodlands(Image: Empica PR)
“We have learned a lot over the past few years and we now believe we have a sustainable answer to the problem facing many areas,” he said.
“Just as many people move to the West Country for a better lifestyle or retirement, we can also provide a tranquil final resting place for those who prefer burial. We are close to the motorway network and have already had a number of families from the London area choose Memorial Woodlands as a resting place for their loved ones.
“The journey has not proved prohibitive, particularly when weighed against the beauty of the site, the facilities here and the service provided by our own team of funeral directors,” he added.
Christopher Hiatt Baker, the owner of the Memorial Woodlands in Thornbury(Image: Memorial Woodlands)
“Here people can have an unhurried service, spend uninterrupted time afterwards, with a wake at our reception rooms and a burial close by. It also means that families can visit the woodlands as they mature, as often as they wish in the years to come.
“Our broader vision over the next century is to create other sites based on the model we have perfected. This could form the basis of extensive nature reserves across the country, protected in trust and self-funded by providing space for burial, ashes interment and remembrance,” he added.
Bristol Memorial Woodlands(Image: Empica PR)
“Bristol Memorial Woodlands is bringing back natural land and habitats where wildlife can flourish, memories can endure, and future generations can discover that they too are part of the great, continuing story of life.
“Cremation requires the use of fossil fuels while burials benefit the land. Burials are essential to many faiths and the woodlands provide a place that people can visit and sit in quiet contemplation, to be near a loved one,” he added.