Relatives' Heartache Over Coastal Erosion Threatening Norfolk Graves

Loved ones of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their departed family.

A Looming Danger to Ancient Churchyards

Local authorities have identified three burial grounds in the communities of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham 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 disinterring bodies and reburying them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for the community to decide how to proceed.

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

Projections indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you consider what’s happened in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has largely vanished into the sea, including its church and graveyard.

“It was possible to see human remains,” she said. “Some have this idealized notion that people’s remains will just get carried away to sea. They won’t. Individuals will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing looking for treasures. It’s completely undignified.”

“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I’d be disgusted by that.”

A Paratrooper's Grave in Peril

Further up the coast is situated the grave of a ex-soldier killed while working overseas. His mother said she lost sleep after discovering her child's grave might one day be relocated.

“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 too soon to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”

Seeking Solutions and Certainty

The lack of consensus over when and how to handle the challenge has resulted in bereaved families feeling exasperated and anxious.

Several families want additional sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow funerals to continue for now. Others argue the time for moving graves is approaching.

“The situation is very emotive,” said one relative. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s confusion about how it is taken forward. And all parties is avoiding responsibility over who is accountable.”

A coastal manager confirmed the burial sites were under the care of the church authorities. “Ultimately it is down to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to help support them through that process with residents.”

He added there was time to weigh all the choices. “This concerns many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the appropriate solutions for each village.”

The possibility of the loss of the historic sites was described as one of “profound sorrow for the area,” but faith leaders also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a theological perspective on the temporal loss of hallowed earth.