UK loses ancient village to erosion, still attracts tourists for mediaeval architecture

London: A coastal village in England, Norfolk, which dates back to the mediaeval era is being lost to erosion. People have been forced to leave their homes due to the weather and the North Sea.

According to reports, around 250 metres of land was lost to erosion between 1600 and 1850. People who bought houses over two decades ago were told that the sea will not take their land for another 150 years. But they have been forced to abandon their houses now.

A report in Bloomberg said that locals have been used to floods, storms, and landslides because the history of natural calamities in the region dates back to the 13th century. In Happisburgh, the cliff and a 21-mile stretch are made up of sand, clay, and silt. It is not solid enough to hold back the volatile sea. Heavier rain, higher tides, and rising sea levels are making life difficult for people.

Scientists think climate change is making things worse by accelerating the process. By 2100, sea levels are expected to increase by a foot. A large swathe of the village is under threat by 2055. By 2105, historic landmarks will be underwater.

Happisburgh is a tourist attraction for a 14th-century church, a lighthouse built in 1790, the coastline, a local pub, and the Hill House dating back to 1540. The village also holds archeological significance because experts think it dates back almost a million years. Tools as old as 9,50,000 years old have been discovered on the beach. A set of footprints dating back 8,00,000 years was also found and estimated to be the oldest in Europe. They are now lost to the sea and archaeologists preserved them in casts.

Locals say it is hard to recognise large parts of the village due to the changing landscape and abandoned houses. One of the resident businessmen Clive Stockton thinks The Hill House, where writer Arthur Conany Doyle once stayed and which inspired his Sherlock Holmes story 'The Adventure of the Dancing Men', has another 20 years left.