Guidelines for Cemetery Conservation - National Trust of Australia

GUIDELINES FOR CEMETERY CONSERVATION
PART FOUR -- APPENDICES
PROBLEM AND CAUSE
SOLUTIONS
1. Leaning and fallen monuments Note that a slight lean is not a problem unless the cemetery is subject to vandalism, in
which case the lean will attract the attention of vandals; or unless the lean is causing
the lettering to fret on the leaning side.
Failure of footings and/or foundations because of:
• normal compaction of grave fill, coffin collapse Wait until they stabilise. Re-bed monument on porous fill, e.g. light gravel & sand.
• vault distortion or collapse
Seek professional advice on stabilization or reconstruction.
• water erosion or soil saturation
Correct drainage problem.
• rabbit or wombat burrows
Fill holes with cobbles and earth.
• tree roots raising one side
Chop off offending root (provided tree will remain stable).
Differential compaction, e.g. one side on rock and other
on fill, or one side dry and the other side wet due to
broken drain or hollow in ground
Soil creep on hillsides
Soil slump, i.e. localised movements of land usually
after heavy rain:
• on river banks and gullies
• in slate and shale areas
Check drainage, improve if necessary and re-bed in gravel/sand mix.
Sometimes caused by poor subsurface drainage, in which case an agricultural drain on
the uphill side may help. Frequently an intractable problem, but avoid the removal of
local bushes and trees.
Erosion control measures
Drainage control on the uphill side.
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