Welcome! I'm Robert.

Personalised memorial sculpture made by Ingrained Culture

Personalised Garden Memorials


Secular or faith based bespoke memorials. Each one unique and with a depth of design to ensure it's right for you.

  Free exciting design process    Highly personal service     100% legal & sustainable wood

Human written website, written by Robert.

Do you need something to help with bereavement and grief?

page updated 1st October 2024

A garden memorial can be particularly useful where there is no grave or a great distance between you and the grave.

I make individual and personalised memorials, it's a new way at looking at things. They're handmade in the UK, for inside or permanent outside installations. Suitable for private homes and gardens or public spaces, bespoke design and made to order. So, what's new? Well, it's about you and the relationship you had with the person you've lost. I usually start with asking you to write down a few sentences about the person, their lifetime achievements and milestones. What you meant to each other. Interests and hobbies. Whether you can draw or not, it doesn't matter, have a go with a pencil and paper, between us ideas for a sculpture or plaque will emerge. 

If it's easier,

there's a video at the bottom of this page where Robert talks you through the idea of a private memorial - give it a try?


You can contact Robert NOW, (there's no obligation) by email or using the contact form below. Either way, Robert will reply promptly.

Email Robert NOW

by Robert

Made in Scotland, serving the whole UK.

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So, where to start?

Simply fill this form in, there's no obligation and it will cost nothing to discuss the options and process with Robert 

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You and I together will design a unique memorial sculpture for either your home or garden and you will see it being made exclusively for you

Secular or faith based bespoke memorials. Each one unique and with a depth of design to ensure it's right for you.

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GiB-COC-WS-5064

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A public space memorial wooden sign, hand painted and sustainable, made in the UK by Ingrained Culture

The 'Sanctuary Garden' sign was commissioned for a public space, its flora is all hand painted by Robert. The aim of the sign is to extend a warm and gentle welcome.

A hand carved Robin used for a private garden memorial and made by Ingrained Culture

I'm often asked to make Robins for memorials, there is a lot of folklore surrounding Robins and the returning souls of the departed. They're suitable for both private gardens or public community spaces.

Memorial Robin by Ingrained Culture.
Contemporary Memorial Sculpture by Ingrained Culture
Bespoke memorial plaques for public spaces by Ingrained Culture
Modern wooden personalised memorial sculpture by Ingrained Culture
Click here for the enquiry form

I like to think, the power of Art can be very helpful, therapeutic even, when dealing with bereavement and grief.

A private and personal memorial for your home or garden can also be particularly useful where there is no grave or where there is a great distance between you. If you're looking for somewhere to visit, to reflect and grieve, a sculpture or plaque in your garden can work well for this purpose.

That’s why, I actively encourage you to get really involved with the design of the memorial sculpture or plaque you would like me to make. For example, let's work through symbolism and metaphor think about the best way to express your feelings about the person who has died. The aim is to end up with a beautiful object for the garden or side table, of your own design, that will remind and comfort you through the years to come, I think only Art and culture can reach that higher plane. 

'she will sit in pride of place in remembrance of my beautiful mother'

Real client, real review:

I approached Robert to design and create my own special fairy. She was based on my late mothers facial features and frame when she was at the young age of 18.

Robert took great care and attention to detail from one of her favourite portrait photographs. Robert kept me up to speed on her progression over the weeks with emails and videos of each stage, doing so to gather more information and feedback on my thoughts. What can I say the final result was amazing! A very emotional moment when I saw the end result.

Once my garden has been completed from construction works she will sit pride of place in remembrance of my beautiful mother and as a symbol of my own business Skye Fairies.

I can’t thank you enough and would recommend Robert to anyone seeking a good woodcarver and Artificer?

A+++ workmanship.

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Ingrained Culture is Licensed a user of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Certification Mark.

Ingrained Culture has been awarded the Certification Mark from the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere logo.

The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere has been recognised internationally as a

world class environment for people and nature.

Ingrained Culture is a Proud Supporter of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere logo.

Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere covers more than 9,700km² of terrestrial and

marine environments across three local authority areas (Dumfries & Galloway, East and South

Ayrshire). 

The cost of personalised garden memorials.

As every memorial I make is different and individually designed and handmade for you, the price is always different. But as a rough guide, £500 for something appropriate, £1250 for special, and a few thousand for something stunning.

A personalised garden memorial can take the form of divine architecture too.

In this example the design was arrived at jointly between my clients and myself. It is a garden memorial piece designed to remain outside all year round. It is intended to appeal to all generations across one family. There is a nod to tradition as well as a very contemporary feel to the shape and form. The dome is designed to accept keepsakes, precious mementos and a candle to light, in remembrance of their much loved son and brother.

(behind the blocked out section is his name hand carved into the wood).

Why are there not more photographs of my memorials on this page?

That's because everyone I make is VERY personal, and it's therefore often inappropriate to share them with the world.


It's a new way at looking at things. For your own side table or garden. A sculpture or plaque, it can be obvious or very subtle indeed, either way it's likely to mean a lot to you. Whether anyone else will understand its meaning, well, that's up to you too.

Free!

Initial design consultation, no fee, no obligation. Simply fill in the form using the button below.

Click here to claim your free initial design consultation.

Personalised figurative portrait memorial sculpture. Either for a Public Statue or private setting.

I make portrait figures, I can make them exact likenesses or just an impression.  Please remember that I work by hand and eye alone, there is no 3D printer, no CAD programs. So the sculpture will be of your loved one or an impression of them achieved from photographs you will have supplied to me.

Accurate wooden portrait sculpture by Ingrained Culture.

There are checks and balances, regular video updates will arrive from me. I shall show you every stage of the carving and making of the figure and I'll constantly ask you if  I'm on the right track. In the end, I usually get it right. I like to capture the way your loved one 'held' themselves, some essence of their character.  

Contemporary figurative sculpture by Ingrained Culture

The use of nature in personalised memorial sculpture.

Personalised contemporary memorial sculpture.

'Wise Old Owl' You can use nature to represent a loved one, it can be an effective way to capture their character and spirit.

Public First World War Centenary Memorial

First World War Memorial made by Ingrained Culture.

It's all about design, be involved from start to finish, Robert will encourage you to collaborate  and achieve a significant memorial as a result.

More about this WWW1 memorial sculpture.

Contemporary figurative sculptural memorials.

Eco-friendly architectural sculpture made by Ingrained Culture.

Or go modern.

A discrete small scale figure, can add huge appeal to the garden and have a hidden meaning of real personal value. 

Small scale figurative sculptural memorials.

Small scale contemporary figurative sculpture.

Small scale personalised and private memorials. For inside furniture top use.  You don't have to have an exact portrait. Often, it's better not to. Consider a figure engaged in a hobby or activity that your loved one also enjoyed. And remember, when your visitors ask you about it, you can choose whether to tell them the whole significance

The cost of garden memorials.

As every memorial I make is different and individually designed and handmade for you, the price is always different. But as a rough guide, £500 for something appropriate, £1250 for special, and a few thousand for something stunning.

Personalised Garden Memorial Plaques.

A plaque or discrete 2D panel (sign like) can be carved with text. In fact, I find that text can be as if not more evocative and emotional, than an image. Traditionalists may think of prayers or verse, no problem there, but I'd like to suggest that you write down whatever comes to mind when you think of your loved one. These written reactions of your own memories can be very powerful when we introduce them to your memorial piece.

Memorials for Gardens.

You can have a traditional or contemporary memorial to your loved one. All are bespoke and therefore no two are the same.

Personalised Garden Memorial Markers.

Have something small and hidden, elegant and of real meaning to you.

Click here for your free initial design consultation.

Public or Private memorials, figurative and Community COVID Memorials.

A wooden figurative sculpture in use as social therapy. Made by Ingrained Culture.

Any life size figure, life like and with a sense of real life. These figures can be for your own garden or commissioned of a dignitary for a public space memorial.

A community Covid memorial made by Ingrained Culture.

This is one example of a contemporary COVID memorial. It has a dual purpose. As a marker in time of the COVID epidemic and the bright and exciting colours of a peek-a-boo game for the under 5s. Made exclusively from 100% legal and sustainable British grown wood, bright painted colours don't reduce the Eco-friendly appeal.

FAQs

  • How do I make a memorial garden?

    Firstly, there are no right or wrongs, grief is a personal emotion and it's often different from one person to another. Therefore, what is seen as appropriate may also be different from one person to another. If it's to be a personal memorial in a private garden then design as you want.

  • Can you put a memorial plaque anywhere?

    If it's going to be located in your private garden, then the simple answer is yes, pretty much anywhere. But if you have a location in mind that is either within public land or in an area of private ownership where there is public access, then you will need consent from the landowner or Council.

  • Outdoor memorial plaque with photo

    Have you considered you can go one better than a photo, let's design something. The power of art can be very moving and orginal, with Robert at Ingrained Culture, you'll get the chance to design a plaque that can provoke serious thought, meaning and reflection.

  • Can I have a small but elegant memorial?

    Oh yes, sometimes less is more, in fact this is especially true with memorials.

  • Can I have an Eco-friendly memorial?

    All my work is exclusively made from 100% legal and sustainable Grown in Britain, Scottish wood. Suitable for either the inside, or permanent outside installation. 

  • I want a memorial that's not another bench.

    Benches are ubiquitous aren't they. There are so many more imaginative ways to memorialise someone special. Lets talk about the options.

  • Do you cover the whole UK?

    I am based in South Ayrshire, Scotland but I serve the whole UK.

  • How involved in the design process will I be?

    Design is where I offer you more than most others. You can design your memorial, and I'll just make it, or I can offer you my ideas based on what you are looking for, or we'll design it together.

  • Can art therapy help with bereavement?

    I think so, use the power of art to express your own thoughts and emotions. With Ingrained Culture, you will lead the design process of the memorial you want to commission.

Robert knows any memorial of any kind, will take a lot of thought and time over design - don't worry. What you're thinking of now, may or may not be how the memorial ends up, it's a matter of evolving ideas into something special.

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