12th March 2026
Designing Sustainable Venues for Celebration of Life Services at a Natural Burial Ground
By George Cox
Those who have visited our natural burial site in Oxton, North Nottinghamshire, might be familiar with our dedicated service space, The Keep, which is available to rent for celebration of life ceremonies before or after a funeral.
The creators behind The Keep, Joseph Peace and Lucy Menter, run Qorone from their base in rural Somerset; creating gathering spaces for a variety of uses and environments.
We sat down with Joseph and Lucy two years on from the creation of The Keep to discuss the process of building it and the intention behind such spaces.
In conversation with Qorone...
Where did the idea for Qorone come from?
The idea for the design of the structure was born at a festival in 2016. I had built a fire pit with seating around it, where people would congregate to hang out, drink tea, tell stories, sing songs, and just chat. It was lovely, but realising that this was a fair-weather venture, I wondered what I could do to make it an all-weather venue. With this in mind, I thought if I made the backs of the seats taller and the flue on the fire more substantial, all I would need to do was come up with a design for a roof. Once I had done this, I thought I might as go ahead and build one, not realising that this decision was going to take over my whole life!
Can you speak to both the juxtaposition and the similarities between a Qorone being used for hosting funeral or celebration of life services, versus the way in which they’re more commonly used, e.g. for festivals?
There are a lot more similarities between the two uses than might be immediately obvious. In both instances, we’re creating a space where people gather and connect. Regardless of whether that is to celebrate someone's life, or to sing together at a festival. The main juxtaposition is that at festivals there is an ebb and flow of people, the focus being the music and the fire; whereas for a funeral there is a lot more structure to the gathering with the focus on the person who has passed. In both situations, the fire is the warm heart which draws people in, creates a special ambiance and is comforting.
What is it about the way a Qorone is designed that lends itself to intentional, meaningful gatherings? How does it differ from other “gathering spaces”?
I think that the energy and intent that goes into the construction of a Qorone makes all the difference. As we build each structure, which takes months, we are mindful of the destination of the structure and so one that is to be a funeral celebration space will have a different energy imbibed to one that is going to be going to festivals or one that is going to be a glamping accommodation space. As a structure, the Qorones are circular, which immediately lends themselves to being sociable spaces of connection, and the outward leaning walls give the illusion of a grand space whilst remaining intimate.
Why did you choose Redwoods as your wood of choice? Where are they sourced from?
Redwoods have been grown in this country for over 150 years, mostly planted as ornamental trees. We now have many more redwoods in the UK than in California! We often get ours from Longleat as they have quite a lot there. It is a great timber because it is very resistant to both rot and insects. Once fully seasoned it is very lightweight which makes moving and erecting much easier. Because they grow so big, we can make a whole Qorone from a single tree which we feel is good energetically. The tree which we transformed into The Keep came from the grounds of The American Museum in Bath.
You've spoken previously about retaining and even highlighting the imperfections in the wood, comparing it to the Japanese art of Kintsugi.
When we are creating our Qorones, we get our timber in planks of random widths from the sawmill, and machine these down to get the sizes we want. During this process the timber gives up its inner secrets, with the grain and the knots and imperfections revealed. We cannot resist making the most of what mother nature has done and put the best bits in the ‘goldilocks zone’ between 1 and 2 metres from the floor, where people are more likely to be able to see them. Using the wood like this means that there are often gaps to fill to achieve a flat surface. Rather than try to fill these gaps to make them disappear we mix sawdust with woodglue which goes almost black, drawing one's eye to the detail in the wall panels. We also sand the walls to leave knots slightly proud so they become tactile surfaces that people can explore with touch.
How does environmentalism and sustainability factor in to the way you build & create?
It is important to us to be sensitive to the land, the planet and all the beings thereon. We try to keep our waste to an absolute minimum; the only timber waste is basically sawdust and kindling. We endeavour to use UK trees that are being thinned out or have died or have been damaged and will be replaced. Qorones should last for many decades and we hope the energy we put into making them is felt by all who experience them.
Thank you to Joseph and Lucy for sharing their creativity and intention with us and everyone for whom Tithe Green Oxton is a special place.
The Keep is available to rent for celebration of life services pre- or post-funeral or interment at Tithe Green. To find out more, please email info@tithegreen.com, or speak to a member of our friendly team directly on 01623 677 100.
Photographs by Juliet Klottrup
