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Families whose relatives buried in resting places vulnerable to shoreline retreat argue that indecision over how to address the problem is causing them unnecessary distress concerning the eternal homes of their loved ones.

An Impending Threat to Ancient Churchyards

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

A recent report on the situation sets out a range of options, from doing nothing to exhuming remains and relocating them in safer locations. Authorities maintain it is for the community to determine how to move forward.

“Right now we’re in limbo. It upsets me. My parents wanted this to be their final resting place, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”

Estimates indicate at least part of one graveyard could be claimed by the waves in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got less than 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 childhood visit to the nearby village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the sea, including its place of worship and burial ground.

“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Some have this romantic idea that people’s remains will just get washed out to the ocean. They won’t. People will take bones as souvenirs and go grave robbing in search of valuables. It’s completely disrespectful.”

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

A Paratrooper's Resting Place in Jeopardy

Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a ex-soldier who died while working abroad. His parent expressed she lost sleep after learning her son’s grave might one day be relocated.

“It does disturb me to consider this won’t be his lasting resting place,” she said. “To our family it’s an important site to visit.”

She believes, new burials should cease but says it is premature to exhume current plots. “My preference for now is to take no action and closely monitor, but an timely resolution needs to be made when a critical moment 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 sea defences to delay the inevitable erosion and to permit burials to continue for now. Others contend the time for moving graves is approaching.

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

A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “In the end it is up to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with communities.”

It was also stated there was time to weigh all the choices. “We are talking many years before it starts to be lost.”

“There is no unified opinion on what should be done yet. We need good local conversations to discover the appropriate answers for each community.”

The possibility of losing the churches and graveyards was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but faith leaders also spoke of a belief in life after death, offering a spiritual perspective on the physical loss of hallowed earth.