🔗 Share this article

Loved ones whose relatives laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion state that indecision over how to tackle the issue is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. They intended this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

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

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to sea. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. That is completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be skeletons on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Soldier's Grave in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while serving abroad. His mother expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Clarity

The lack of agreement over the timing and method to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Others argue the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

He added there was time to consider all the options. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should be done yet. We need productive local conversations to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also referenced a belief in life after death, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the physical disappearance of sacred ground.