Henk Meems runs a round over the cemetery in Grolloo, he stands at the brand new tombstones of his grandparents and great -grandparents. “It is a relief that it is so beautiful and tidy,” he says.
The huge twelve apostle tree in the cemetery was blown over by Storm Pia in December 2023. Thick branches broke seven graves. “I always came here to clean the graves, to keep it tidy,” says Meems. “When I saw the graves completely broken, I didn’t know what to do.”
The destroyed graves have been restored in recent months and replaced today.
The damage was huge. Steenhouwer André Ridder was able to reuse few materials for the new graves. “Everything was broken, only the letter plates were still usable. And even you don’t see anything that again.”
Nevertheless, the new graves have retained the appearance of the old as much as possible. “We looked at what the stones used to look like and simulated that as well as possible,” Knight explains. But a more modern choice has also been made. “There used to be many small tiles. Beautiful, but over time they let go. Now we have chosen a cover plate, which is much more maintenance -friendly.”
That is no problem for Meems. “It is actually much nicer than it was. You never really got those old tiles again.”
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