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Loved ones of people laid to rest in graves at risk from shoreline retreat say that indecision on how best to tackle the problem is creating avoidable anguish concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

A Looming Threat to Historic Graveyards

The council have singled out three church graveyards in the communities of Happisburgh, Trimingham, and Mundesley as being in danger of being consumed by the sea in the next few generations.

A recent report on the situation sets out a series of possible actions, from taking no action to exhuming remains and relocating them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to decide how to move forward.

“At the moment 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 encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least a portion of one churchyard could fall into the waves 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 occurred in the last 30 years,” one said.

Troubled by the Past

One resident remembered a school trip to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely vanished into the sea, along with its place of worship and burial ground.

“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. That is not the case. People will take bones as mementos and go grave robbing in search of treasures. That is completely undignified.”

“I fear that the same thing that happened at Eccles will occur at Happisburgh and there’ll be bones on the shore. I would feel appalled by that.”

A Soldier's Resting Place in Peril

Further up the coast lies the burial plot of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His parent said she lost sleep after discovering her child's final plot might one day be moved.

“It truly trouble me to think this may not remain his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

In her view, new burials should stop but says it is premature to disturb current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and watch carefully, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a tipping point has been attained.”

Searching for Solutions and Certainty

An absence of consensus over when and how to handle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling frustrated and anxious.

Several families want additional sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Different voices argue the moment for moving graves is approaching.

“It is very emotional,” said one relative. “The council’s report was thorough, but now there’s confusion about how it is implemented. And all parties is washing their hands over who is responsible.”

A coastal manager said the graveyards were owned and managed of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to decide the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”

He added there was ample time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”

“Currently, there exists no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need good community discussions to find the appropriate answers for each village.”

The prospect of the loss of the historic sites was labeled one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in resurrection, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal loss of sacred ground.