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Families of people laid to rest in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that indecision over how to address the problem is creating avoidable anguish about the final resting places of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being in danger of being swallowed 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 reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to proceed.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. They intended this to serve as their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections suggest at least part of one churchyard could fall into the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “In my view it’s got less than 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”

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

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the shoreline is situated the grave of a ex-soldier who died while serving overseas. His mother expressed she lost sleep after learning her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It truly disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”

She believes, new interments should stop but says it is premature to exhume existing graves. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a critical moment has been reached.”

Searching for Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and worried.

Some are calling for more coastal protections to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to proceed for now. Different voices argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is down to them to choose the path to take. We are here to help support them through that journey with residents.”

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

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

The prospect of losing the historic sites was labeled one of “profound sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in life after death, offering a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of sacred ground.