A six-foot-high stone burial mound is taking shape in the Nottinghamshire countryside, introducing a form of funerary architecture that has not been built in the Midlands for thousands of years. The contemporary barrow is the first of three planned for Nottinghamshire Memorial Park in Calverton, a 27-acre site being developed by family-owned funeral director A.W. Lymn.

The barrows have been designed and constructed by Sacred Stones, a specialist company formed in 2015 to design, build and administer contemporary barrows. Its co-founder Martin Fields has been responsible for constructing the UK's first four barrows to be built in thousands of years, establishing a contemporary interpretation of an ancient architectural form.

At Calverton, the traditional burial mound is being reinterpreted as a place for the interment of cremated remains using limestone blocks. Once complete, the three structures will provide more than 800 niches, offering an alternative to keeping ashes at home or scattering them elsewhere, with the first barrow is expected to open to the public in April 2027.

The design draws on the long history of barrows as places of burial and remembrance. Across Britain, prehistoric communities constructed mounds from earth and stone to mark burial sites, often positioning them prominently within the landscape. Rather than reproducing those monuments as archaeological replicas, Sacred Stones' contemporary barrows adapt the underlying idea of the mound as both architecture and landscape.

That relationship with the surrounding countryside is central to the Nottinghamshire scheme. The structures emerge from the ground rather than sitting apart from it, giving the memorial spaces a physical connection to the landscape. Within the mounds, the niches provide a more permanent setting for cremated remains, while the scale and form create spaces intended for reflection and remembrance.

The project also reflects a changing approach to funeral architecture. A.W. Lymn, which was established in Nottingham in 1907 and is now in its fifth generation, operates 36 funeral homes across the Midlands and offers funeral services spanning traditional and contemporary approaches. Nottinghamshire Memorial Park is its first family-owned cemetery and barrows site in the region.

“We know being bold and re-creating something from ancient times will be a popular choice for many who are looking for a special way to commemorate their loved ones,” says managing director Matthew Lymn Rose. “It is important to look ahead, but also reflect on traditions of the past.”

The first public preview of the Nottinghamshire Memorial Park is planned for 10 October 2026, when visitors will be able to explore the barrow and its interior for the first time.