🔗 Share this article

Families of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion state that a lack of decision over how to address the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being swallowed by the sea in the next few generations.

A newly published study on the issue sets out a series of options, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide 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 sea.”

Projections indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some residents fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s occurred in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, including 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 carried away to the ocean. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing looking for valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper killed while working overseas. His mother expressed she could not sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be relocated.

“It does disturb me to consider this may not remain his lasting home,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

In her view, new interments should stop but says it is premature to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want additional coastal protections to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to continue for now. Different voices contend the time for relocation is approaching.

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

A coastal manager said the burial sites were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that process with communities.”

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

“There is no common view on what should happen yet. We need good community discussions to find the right solutions for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a theological viewpoint on the physical disappearance of hallowed earth.