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Families whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is creating avoidable anguish about the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Historic Churchyards

The council have identified three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.

A recent report on the situation sets out a series of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure locations. Officials maintain it is for local people to determine how to move forward.

“At the moment we’re in limbo. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Projections suggest at least part of one graveyard could fall into the sea in the next 80 years, but some residents worry it will happen far earlier. “In my view it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely disappeared into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see human remains,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that the deceased will just get carried away to the ocean. They won’t. Individuals will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened 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

Further up the coast lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His mother said she could not sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be moved.

“It does trouble me to think this won’t be his permanent home,” she said. “For us it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should cease but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an timely resolution must be made when a tipping point has been reached.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

An absence of agreement over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in bereaved families feeling frustrated and worried.

Several families are calling for additional coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others argue the moment for relocation is approaching.

“It is very emotive,” a family member stated. “The official study was thorough, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is taken forward. And everybody is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that process with residents.”

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

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires good community discussions to find the right solutions for each village.”

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