Make your final resting place a unique one at The Lost Village of Dode

The majority of people in the UK are cremated rather than buried and while some families decide to either keep the ashes at home or scatter them somewhere, others want to inter them to provide a final resting place, a place they can occasionally revisit.

If you are looking for somewhere to be interred that connects with the past and with nature, then consider Holly Barrow at The Lost Village of Dode in Kent.

It is a recreation of a neolithic long barrow, created within our earth, with stone-lined chambers where there are niches to inter their ashes. Eventually, around 400 urns will be contained there.

Keeper Doug Chapman said: "At a time of loss, it is the most natural thing in the world to want to connect to the past and consider our true place in the world. Here, this is truly possible.

"In this beautiful valley, overlooked by the centuries, Dode provides an unequalled place to celebrate the life of a loved one. Its complete sense of calm, respect and dignity will allow you to say farewell in peace and harmony.”

The two-acre site near Luddesdown in the Kent countryside with its conserved Norman church, is the only remaining part of Dode, a village that was left to ruin when the Black Death struck in 1349.

It has been a sacred place of peace for over 900 years, nurturing the circle of life through rites of passage for all - making it an ideal place for stillness and reflection.

In order to observe the three traditional 'Rights of Passage' and celebrate the circle of life, cremated ashes had been interred and scattered within the grounds for several years. However, space has become scarce and so Holly Barrow was built, nestling in the folds of the valley, where ashes could be interred as they were 5,000 years ago.

Doug said: "We are going back in time, when people used to revere their dead. It is naturalistic and simple. You stand at the entrance to the barrow and it’s an amphitheatre of green and you realise you are part of nature. The church and the site has a presence, it is very spiritual and it’s like returning to the earth.”

ADVERTISER CONTENT FROM THE LOST VILLAGE OF DODE

Dode was a Kent village, abandoned in 1367 following the Black Death, and all that remained was the deconsecrated church, which over time became unloved and decaying. Built in the reign of William Rufus, the son of William the Conqueror, in 1100.
It was built on a very large man-made mound and the name of the lane that leads to it indicates it may have been a Meeting Place, or Moot, going back thousands of years.

In 1990 Doug Chapman, a chartered surveyor, discovered the old church and bought it to conserve. Nine years later it was licenced as a civil wedding venue and is the only trace of the now “lost” village of Dode.

He has worked tirelessly to breathe life back into this important piece of history, to preserve its legacy and revitalise interest in this most special of places.

He first read an article about the church in the 1970s but it was not until many years later that he spotted an advert saying it would be sold by auction with an application to turn it into a house, but he decided to preserve it as a sacred space.

“Dode Church had last been used regularly in the middle of the fourteenth century and despite a program of conservation in the early 1900’s it was ruinous,” he said.

Tiles had been stripped, the door had been burned, the alter destroyed and litter and graffiti added to the damage. It was also not watertight.

There followed a seven year programme of repair, conservation and furnishing, with a number of events.

The barrow has five circular chambers in total, four with stone-lined niches, where the urns can be reverently placed. Most niches accommodate two urns at a cost of £2,500. The final chamber is a candlelit chapel, where final goodbyes can be said before placing the urn in its niche. The chapel has space for up to eight people.

"As you approach the beautifully handcrafted iron gate you are entering another realm, a place of peace, of silence and serenity. Lit only by candles in each of the stone-lined niches, you become aware of the heartbeat of Mother Earth.”

Some families who have kept loved ones ashes for several years may want to have them interred in Holly Barrow, while others are choosing to buy a space for themselves when the time eventually comes.

"We have people of all ages buying them," said Doug. "One couple is in their 30s. Other couples who have married here have also bought a niche.”

There are several options when it comes to the niche - you can have it left open, the traditional way, or sealed with an engraved stone tablet, iron grill, or even a stained glass window. These are all made by local craftspeople.

Holly Barrow is very much a nature based location, although Humanist ceremonies can be offered. Ceremonies focus on the life they led, the relationships they forged and the legacy they left. Written and conducted by Dode's celebrants, they are both a celebration of life and a dignified personal farewell.

Doug said: "This is about telling stories, playing music and occasional laughter, when the rawness of the funeral is gone. Families decide how long it takes, what happens and have a private, final and meaningful goodbye."

Memorials can take place on any day of the week and Holly Barrow will be open for loved ones to visit on seven specified days each year.

You can visit to tour the site with Dode's guardians who can also answer any questions you have. If you would like to schedule a more private viewing email becky@dodevillage.com and for more details about Dode, visit the website.