Shrewsbury crematorium will not lose its two crosses

The new bosses of Shrewsbury's Emstrey Crematorium today denied they had any plans to remove two large symbolic Christian crosses under multi-million pound plans to overhaul the site.

Co-operative Funeralcare, which recently took over the running of the Emstrey site from Shropshire Council on a 30-year lease, wants to pump an initial £1.7 million into the restoration of the crematorium.

But The Rev Murray McBride, vicar of St Geor-ge's Church in Frankwell, claimed all the town's clergy and funeral directors were invited to a meeting where they were told about plans to remove the two crosses.

One cross is situated on the chimney of the crematorium chapel and the other makes up the front-facing structure of the building and is more than 20ft in height.

But a spokesman for Co-operative Funeralcare today insisted there were no plans to remove the crosses.

He said: "The window frames are rotting and must be replaced – however the wooden beams in the shape of a cross will remain.

"The Co-operative Group is not altering the crematorium in any other way so we are able to confirm that the chimney and crosses will remain."

The plans include extensions and alterations to the crematorium and chapel building, the administration office and the ground maintenance and filing building.

Mr McBride said: "From a design point of view it is a great example of a building from the 1950s or 60s and the crosses form an integral part of that."

See also:

• Shrewsbury crematorium £1.7m revamp plan