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Families of people buried in resting places at risk from shoreline retreat say that a lack of decision over how to tackle the problem is creating unnecessary distress about the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Historic Churchyards

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

A recent report on the situation details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer sites. Officials say it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

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

Projections indicate at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals worry it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.

Haunted by the Ghosts of Eccles

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the water, along with its church and graveyard.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. That is not the case. Individuals will collect remains as mementos and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely disrespectful.”

“I fear that the identical fate that happened at Eccles will happen at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the beach. I would feel disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the burial plot of a former paratrooper killed while working abroad. His mother said she could not sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It does disturb me to think this won’t be his permanent resting place,” she said. “For us it’s an significant place to go.”

In her view, new interments should cease but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an early decision must be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

An absence of agreement over when and how to tackle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families are calling for more coastal protections to slow the unavoidable loss and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others contend the time for relocation is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. 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 choose the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that process with residents.”

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

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

The prospect of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also referenced a doctrine in resurrection, offering a theological perspective on the physical loss of sacred ground.