Britain | Uncertain shore

The challenge of coastal erosion in Britain

Stark choices along the Norfolk coastline

CTR494 Steps leading down to the beach at Happisburgh in which have now become detached from the cliff top through coastal erosion
|Happisburgh

The hill house inn, a pub in Happisburgh on the Norfolk coast, has hosted a beer festival in its garden for 20 years. How long the tradition will continue is uncertain. By 2055 the heart of Happisburgh—including the pub and a 14th-century church—will be at risk of toppling into the sea. One part of the village has already disappeared: a holiday caravan site, whose old groundworks stick out of the cliffside.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Uncertain shore”

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