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Families of people buried in graves vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

The council have singled out three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being at risk of being swallowed by the sea in the coming decades.

A newly published study on the situation details a range of options, from doing nothing to disinterring bodies and relocating them in more secure locations. Authorities maintain it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to be their last home, but it won't be because of the sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea 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 look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Past

A local business owner recalled a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has largely 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 idealized notion that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Further up the shoreline is situated the burial plot of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His parent said she could not sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It truly disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant site to visit.”

She believes, new interments should cease but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and watch carefully, but an early decision needs to be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Answers and Certainty

An absence of consensus over the timing and method to tackle the challenge has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and worried.

Several families want more coastal protections to delay the unavoidable loss and to permit burials to proceed for now. Others contend the moment for relocation is drawing near.

“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The official study was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”

A local official confirmed the burial sites were owned and managed of the church authorities. “In the end it is down to them to decide the path to take. Our role is here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

He added there was ample time to consider all the options. “This concerns decades before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. It requires productive community discussions to discover the right solutions for each community.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was labeled one of “profound sadness for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in resurrection, providing a spiritual perspective on the temporal loss of sacred ground.