🔗 Share this article

Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Ancient Graveyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the ocean in the next few generations.

A recent report on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They wanted this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

One resident recalled a school trip to the nearby settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as mementos and go plundering graves looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the identical fate that befell at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to consider this may not remain his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant place to go.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb current plots. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want more sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to decide the path to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the options. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need productive local conversations to find the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.