🔗 Share this article

Loved ones of people 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 unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

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

A recent report on the issue details a series 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 move forward.

“At the moment 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 suggest at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

One resident recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could 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. Individuals 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 here and there’ll be bones on the shore. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Along the shoreline is situated the grave of a former paratrooper killed while working abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after discovering her son’s final plot might one day be moved.

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

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

The lack of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families are calling for additional sea defences to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to continue for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is responsible.”

A local official said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to consider all the options. “We are talking decades before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no common view on what should happen yet. We need good community discussions to find the right solutions for each community.”

The possibility of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a theological viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.