Beggars Belief

[Canary42]

This memorial was approved by the council but now they've got cold feet and are claiming it's different from plans submitted.

But the whole thing is tasteless over-indulgence IMHO (to judge its size, the two statues of the deceased are life size). How could anyone countenance such excess in a public cemetery.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-60866369

Sometimes society bewilders me.

[pixie374]

Maybe it is different? And not cold feet.

[choux]

Looks a bit "Graceland" to me. I would not be happy to have a loved one buried any where near that.

[gness]

Fine should they wish on their own land but not in a public cemetery. Why on earth a juke box?

[choux]

Riverdance?

[wolf63]

Spending that sort of money on a dead person is not rational. It is tacky.

I don't understand why the family would want to build such a monstrosity and how they possibly felt that it was appropriate.

I read about it yesterday and was shocked when I saw the photo.

[choux]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10647815/Family-Traveller-King-draft-SECURITY-guard-37-ton-200-000-gravestone.html

[tomus42]

My big fat gypsy funeral.

[douglas9401]

Just the same mess that's always left behind.

[gness]

It is tacky, Wolf but they have the money to be tacky. Can’t recall what your Covid restrictions were for funerals on that date. If it’s like the Kettering funeral that broke the rules they’ll have ignored them.

[Ken4155]

Can't even put a little ornamental fence on my parent's grave.

[jno]

everybody loves making rules but nobody can be bothered enforcing them. £4bn lost to fraudulent claims on Covid support? Forget about it. People holding illegal parties? No way the police have time to look into things like that. All a bit tough on people who do obey the rules: how long will they continue to do so?

In a rare case a few years back, someone demolished a listed London pub. To my amazement they were ordered to rebuild it, and did. But I doubt anyone will be ordered to bulldoze this one.

[pastafreak]

Why did the words "traveler/gypsy" enter my head before I'd read the comments here?
It's just a tad...tacky. How on earth did they get it erected without being caught?

[naomi24]

The council haven’t got cold feet. A memorial was approved but it wasn’t that one.

[emmie]

ugly and inappropriate memorial, they should be asked to take it down, though that seems unlikely, modified to what exactly?

[Gromit]

Ostentatious displays of death like this are so Victorian.
An over the top memorial is intended to convey the image of the deceased as a great and worthy man of high esteem. In reality is was probably a slave trader or money grubbing mill owner. The more showy the monument, the more they have to hide.
In this example the individual did not find a cure for cancer. He was just very good at smashing another man’s brain to bits with his bear hands.

[Buenchico]

As I check the website of the Sheffield Star several times a day (because I lived in the city for 20 years and I still like to keep in touch with life there), I was aware of the erection of this monument before the story hit the national press. I've been wondering about just how long it would take before we had a thread about it here!

It seems that not everyone in Sheffield is exactly over the moon about it:
https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/people/willy-collins-sheffield-families-who-couldnt-leave-even-a-teddy-bear-on-loved-ones-graves-protest-37-ton-headstone-3623850

[dannyk13]

Only one word comes to mind, monstrous.Looks like something that would be more at home in a fairground.

[dave50]

They council won't dare say anything because they are gypsies and as usual they think rules don't apply to them and so that means they will play the race card or whatever card is applicable to them.

[naomi24]

I know of a churchyard that has an area dedicated to gipsy graves. All are rather ostentatious with pictures of the deceased on the graves along with various trinkets - but this is a monstrosity the council hadn't bargained for. I hope the bereaved are made to pull it down.

[davebro]

Wouldn't be surprised if it got seriously vandalised (nudge, nudge).