🔗 Share this article

Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves at risk from coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the final resting places of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the issue sets out a range of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities maintain it is for the community to determine how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It upsets me. They wanted this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen far earlier. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

One resident remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that befell at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while serving overseas. His parent said she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to think this may not remain his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to proceed for now. Others contend the time for relocation is approaching.

“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 all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official said the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “In the end it is up to them to choose the direction to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with residents.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the options. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “profound sadness for the area,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of sacred ground.