James Stevens Curl has long been interested in the challenges and problems of Designs for Death: he studied the problem for many years, and produced his The Victorian Celebration of Death in 1972 (a volume which inaugurated what we now know as Funerary Studies) in the teeth of indifference, hostility, and downright ridicule, but his originality in this regard gained him many admirers, so that his much-expanded book with the same title, published in 2000, was hailed as a major contribution. His knowledge of the subject and of the problems of Commemoration have led him to design monuments to counteract the mawkish products of the average 'monumental mason'  which he claims have added new Terrors to Death. Aware of the poor quality of much contemporary funerary monuments, he has designed several Classically-inspired works, a selection of which is shown here. He draws on fine lettering, heraldry, and a free interpretation of Classicism to create monuments that enhance, not erode, the qualities of old-established churchyards, using materials that respond to local character.

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