Happisburgh was originally a Danish settlement; a story of Edrich the Dane of Hapesburg is depicted on our village sign as a daily reminder of our history. After the conquest, a Norman overlord gave the village away as his daughter's marriage dowry. Behind the sign stands our oldest village properties, once a Monastery.
Today our church stands bold and tall over the village with a splendid view out to sea and the opportunity to climb the tower from within and enjoy an even more spectacular sight as far as Norwich on a good day.
Happisburgh has had much publicity of late as one of the worst places affected by the increasing rates of erosion. The villagers are fighting to save our shoreline and the village. We feel it is well worth putting up a fight to protect what we have for as long as is possible, and not wave the white flag of defeat so soon. The Coastal Concern Action Group website (www.happisburgh.org.uk) has more detail of recent events.
