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Families of people buried in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision on how best to tackle the issue is causing them unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

An Impending Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being swallowed by the ocean in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the situation details a series of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

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

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

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner remembered a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to sea. They won’t. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur here and there’ll be bones on the beach. I’d be appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Along the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His parent expressed she lost sleep after discovering her son’s grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to exhume existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an early decision needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to handle the problem has left bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Some want more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Others argue the moment for moving graves is drawing near.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to help support them through that process with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the options. “This concerns many years before it begins getting lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should happen yet. We need good community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “immense sorrow for the local community,” but faith leaders also referenced a belief in resurrection, offering a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.