🔗 Share this article

Loved ones of people buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion state that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Historic Graveyards

Local authorities have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue details a range of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure locations. Authorities say it is for the community to decide how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents intended this to be their final resting place, but it isn’t going to be because of the sea.”

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

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner remembered a childhood visit to the neighbouring settlement of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of valuables. It’s completely undignified.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Clarity

The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want more coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to permit funerals to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns decades before it starts to be lost.”

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

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in life after death, offering a spiritual perspective on the temporal disappearance of hallowed earth.