Why survey before you start work

Churchyards are among the richest places in the UK for heritage and wildlife. They hold ancient yews, medieval wall fabric, listed memorials, rare lichens and wildflower meadows. Before anyone lifts a strimmer or lopper, a survey helps you see what is there, what matters and what can wait. It also gives evidence for permissions, funding bids and future care. A basic survey can be done in a morning by a small team. It protects both the place and the people who volunteer there.

Get permission and set your boundaries

Always start with permission. In England, churchyards are usually under faculty jurisdiction, and any works may need a faculty. A survey itself often only needs the agreement of the incumbent and the Parochial Church Council (PCC). In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, ask the relevant denominational body. For cathedrals, ask the chapter or estates office. Explain your aims, dates and how you will use the results. Agree exactly which area you will survey and which parts to leave alone. Ask about recent burials, unstable memorials, open vaults and any known protected species.

• Write to the incumbent or PCC secretary with dates and a simple method.
• Confirm boundaries: which sections, paths, walls and closed areas.
• Check insurance, risk assessments and lone-working rules.
• Agree access, parking, water, toilets and where to leave kit.

Kit and forms for a practical survey

Keep it simple and robust. You need clipboards, pencils, printed forms, a camera or phone, tape measure, hand lens, a map or GPS, gloves and a first-aid kit. Dress for nettles, brambles and ticks. Use one form per monument or per compartment, and number every page. Record date, weather, recorders and grid reference at the top. A paper form is fine; a spreadsheet later makes mapping easier.

Monument form fields:

• Type: headstone, chest tomb, ledger, cross, kerb, vault, wall plaque.
• Material: limestone, sandstone, slate, marble, granite, iron, wood, concrete.
• Dimensions and orientation: height, width, direction faced.
• Condition: sound, leaning, delaminated, cracked, buried, ivy-covered.
• Inscription: legible, partly legible or lost; record names and dates if safe.
• Photographs: wide shot, detail and scale. Note the photo number.

Map monuments without damaging them

Sketch a simple plan of the churchyard. Use a path or wall as a baseline and measure offsets to each monument. Or pace out a rough grid and number the stones. Mark each number on your sketch and on the matching form. Do not lean on stones, scrape lichen or move fragments. Fallen stones should be recorded where they lie, because their position is archaeological evidence. Avoid tying string lines to monuments; use pegs in grass. Note reused stones in walls and any carved fragments. If you use a GPS, record waypoints and check them later.

Record plants, lichens and wildlife

Churchyards are often wildlife havens. Survey before mowing, strimming or clearing. Walk a transect or use small quadrats. Record what you can identify confidently; photograph the rest for an expert. Use a simple abundance scale such as rare, occasional, frequent or abundant. Note flowering dates and current mowing patterns. Look closely at stonework for lichens, some of which are nationally scarce. Record veteran trees, hedges, walls, damp corners and invasive species such as snowberry, ivy and Japanese knotweed. Note bat droppings or sightings, and nesting birds. Protected species need expert advice and sometimes a licence before any work.

• List trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, ferns, mosses, lichens and fungi.
• Note habitat features: long grass, compost heaps, stone piles, boundary ditches.
• Record wildlife signs: nests, bat droppings, insect galls, mammal runs.
• Photograph indicator species and unknowns for later identification.

Note hazards and plan safe care days

Safety is part of conservation. Walk the site with fresh eyes and mark hazards on your map. Share the findings with every volunteer before work starts. Never work alone near unstable memorials. Check for underground vaults and soft ground. Wear gloves, stout boots and eye protection for strimming. Keep a first-aid kit and phone accessible. Some plants are toxic, including yew, foxglove and monkshood. Giant hogweed sap can cause severe burns; report it and avoid the area. Watch for used needles, glass and dog mess.

• Unstable or leaning monuments, loose kerbs, open graves, sunken ground.
• Overhead branches, brambles, trip hazards, uneven paths, slippery stones.
• Buried services, taps, cables, boundary walls and gates.
• Nesting birds and protected species; avoid works in breeding season.
• Weather and access: mud, ice, heat, lone working and public visitors.

Turn your survey into a care plan

Collate the forms into a folder or spreadsheet. Make a clean map with numbered monuments, habitats and hazards. Prioritise urgent safety work, then conservation tasks, then interpretation. Plan practical days around wildlife: cut paths first, avoid mowing wildflower areas until late summer, and leave seed heads. Clear vegetation from monuments by hand only; never use wire brushes or pressure washers on stone. Record what you do and when, so next year's group can see change. Share a short summary with the PCC, incumbent and local historic environment record. A good survey turns a tidy-up into careful stewardship, and gives volunteers the confidence to know what to leave alone.