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18 Upper Maudlin St Bristol BS2 8DJ tel / fax +44 (0)117 926 4999 email heaven.earth@virgin.net web heavenonearthbristol.co.uk |
Frequently Asked Questions
It has long been the situation that death & funerals have been pushed under the carpet and that people are mourned in a very restricted way. I (Paula) was brought up as a Roman Catholic and lived my formative years against a background of death. It seemed to me that unless I accepted death as part of life then I could not begin to appreciate life. My partner, Simon and I agreed that a shop that concerned itself with life should also include death. This has meant that the one has enriched the other. Many of the artefacts that we sell in our shop can be used in a dual way. Cushions are often purchased to put in the coffin. Gold & silver letters often decorate the coffin. Throws are used to cover an environmentally-friendly cardboard coffin, which might upset certain members of a family who are a little more traditional - satisfying all parties. Lacquered photograph albums are perfect in which to collect memento mori; as are handmade paper notebooks for guests to write in so that a record can be kept of all those who attended the funeral.
We prefer the word 'bespoke' to describe our funerals rather than 'alternative' because each one of our funerals differs in the same way that people do. Although we carry out 'traditional' funerals and do use a hearse and limousines when asked, many of our customers want something different: they do not want black, so we use a silver estate car; they like the idea of a coffin that is environmentally friendly, that reflects their concerns about the wastefulness of resources; they like the idea of returning to nature and sometimes becoming a tree and they want an individual, personal memorial service or celebration. They also say that being involved in the funeral, decorating the coffin themselves, supplying family bearers, lowering the coffin & helping to fill in the grave for instance, gives them a feeling of empowerment and helps them in the grieving process.
One of the most unusual coffins that we have supplied is the
Red Arrows jet coffin (pictured below) for a customer who is
passionate about them. We were on television with one of the
Ghanaian Fantasy Coffins,
We have arranged so many funerals that it is hard to say which is the most unusual. We have buried wizards with their wands, spells and all; cremated buddhists with chanting, incense and a strewing of flowers (with subsequent hoovering of the crematorium floor!). On one occasion the committal was timed to coincide with an explosion of kazoos, whistles and party poppers and the releasing of hundreds of balloons; on another the coffin disappeared to Welsh miners singing 'The Red Flag'. We believe that carrying out such requests, as long as they are within legal bounds and are included within the dignified structure of the funeral, have been uplifting to the bereaved, because these happenings have been at the bequest of the deceased whose wishes had been recorded before they died. When a personal approach has been planned in this way, people say that the deceased would love to have been at his/her own funeral. |
a Mercedes Benz - (in Ghana you are usually buried
in a coffin which denotes your trade: a boat for a fisherman,
an eagle for a chief etc.) - and we were perceived as having
made it ourselves. Consequently we received an order for a Jet.....of
course, this coffin is only suitable for a burial! In this case
we had to design it so that the nose and wings were detachable
in order for it to fit into the grave! We have also made a coffin
with a ship's wheel on top for a sailor. Coffins decorated with
football colours are also popular. Families who have lost children
welcome the idea of all the friends decorating the coffin with
their favourite poems, paintings and logos. A horse-lover was
buried with their saddle and bridle, with a large picture of
the horse on the coffin lid....and many, many more.