Gidlow Stone

24/08/2026

Old fashioned headstone engraving by hammer and chisel

24/08/2026

20/08/2026

⚒⚒ Old fashioned hand-cut lettering ⚒⚒

I'll be engraving a memorial by hammer and chisel over the next week outside my showroom at Gidlow Cemetery should anyone wish to see how it's done? There's not many who can still do this highly skilled type of masonry, it is a dying trade and that's not a pun.

Good job I've previously removed this memorial as the work van has broken down and towed away, only one day past my 3 year manufacturer warranty has expired, talk about bad luck. Unfortunately, that may cause a little delay to our proposed work schedule.

Please call in to view our latest stock or call 01257 424303 for any enquiries

31/07/2026

Following on from my post with the little mouse

This job was a bit of a nightmare, the coffin was close to the top so I couldn't dig a hole, at least it was in good weather!

This type of lettering is called 'Raised Lead' and it's going out of fashion. I've not seen a new memorial done this way for 35+ years. There's not many who can do this or want to, as it is time consuming and difficult. I quite enjoy the occasional one as a bit of variety.

Client was very happy with the job, as they understood the issues of being so low down.

28/07/2026

I had a little friend giving me company recently in a Churchyard. I don't know whether it's a mouse or shrew but it was a cute little thing. I felt guilty disturbing its home so I could do some lettering on site. I'll post my completed work in a few days

We are animal lovers here at Gidlow Stone and have recently had delivery of some lovely bespoke animal headstones e.g. Butterflies, Horses, Robins and Cats which are unusual and created from the highest quality granite to give more options from the usual Black memorials.

15/07/2026

⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 COME ON ENGLAND!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚽️

With England taking on Argentina in tonight's World Cup semi-final, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to showcase a few of our football-themed memorials.

At Gidlow Stone, we stock and supply a wide range of bespoke Headstones to reflect a loved one's passions, interests and personality.

Whether you're looking for a football-themed memorial or something completely unique, we're here to help and guide you through the options available.

The photos featured show:-

⚽ A Bahama Blue & White football shirt headstone, perfect for a devoted Wigan Athletic supporter
⚽ A headstone incorporating the Wigan Athletic badge
⚽ A beautifully crafted two-tone granite football, which can be added to complement any headstone designs

For more information on our services:
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📧 Send an email: [email protected]
📍 Call in to our showroom: Gidlow Cemetery Office, Wigan Road, Standish, Wigan, WN6 0AD
📞Telephone 01257 424303

IT'S COMING HOME 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎉⚽

01/07/2026

A rare, exquisite new stone is heading to Gidlow Stone!

After seeing this material during my recent trip to the Germany trade show, I have now placed an order for this beautiful eye-catcher, hopefully on display in a few weeks.

It is regarded as a high-end material because of its scaricty and the particular geological conditions needed for its formation. Apparantely, only 400cbm is quarried per year to supply the whole World.

As with any premium product, it is very expensive but it adds a more distinctive variety to my display, not all headstones have to be black granite.

19/06/2026

Here's me on the stone etching tool at the Nuremberg stone exhibition today.

Nice bit of kit but not worth the £350 price tag.

16/06/2026

This is really disappointing...

I sold a new memorial headstone to a client in February and offered to take the foundation and place on the grave so the customer could see where the headstone would eventually be erected (as the grave is off-centre).

After a couple of months, I revisit the grave to erect the completed memorial and someone has stole the foundation and replaced with an old second hand one!

How can someone do that, my customer is understandable disappointed and upset.

To think it was probably someone in the trade is even more disappointing. Thankfully I took a couple of pictures of how I left the foundation in February, the other picture is the replacement that is there now. I now need to replace the foundation and remove someone else's rubbish.

Some people have NO SHAME!

13/06/2026

We attended the National Funeral Exhibition in Coventry today, good to meet up with Carl and my friends from Belle Lapidi granite suppliers.

Not much for the memorial trade but as we also have a Funeral business, two Methodist Chapels and a Woodland Cemetery, it's good to keep up-to-date with the latest trends.

We are aiming to bring some new sideline items to the showroom in the future so watch this space

Germany stone trade show next, by invitation, from my Indian granite supplier.