Key facts
- The graves of 119 sailors from the HMS Invincible shipwreck are threatened by coastal erosion.
- The shipwreck occurred in 1801.
- The sailors were buried in St Mary's churchyard in Happisburgh, Norfolk.
- Coastal erosion is causing the clifftop cemetery to crumble into the sea.
The clifftop cemetery in St Mary's churchyard, Happisburgh, Norfolk, is facing the threat of coastal erosion, putting the graves of 119 sailors who perished in a shipwreck 200 years ago at risk of falling into the sea. The sailors were from the doomed ship HMS Invincible, which sank in 1801. The ongoing erosion of the coastline is now threatening the integrity of the cemetery where these sailors were laid to rest.