The City that Vanished into the Sea

Nicholas C. Rossis

When people speak of climate change, I often think of Dunwich, a town on the Suffolk coast that has almost entirely vanished into the sea.

Dunwich is a pleasant city that consists of just about one street and a museum, a shingle beach, and a nearby forest. As George Etteridge reminds us, though, this was not always the case. Indeed, in the Medieval period, it was a bustling port, sitting in a natural harbor with trade ships going to and fro from ports on the continent. Its population of around 5,000 people enjoyed multiple churches, a market, a guildhall, and even a mint.

At the time of the Norman conquest, it was among the largest settlements in all of England. Some even claim that it is the former capital of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia in addition to the seat of the first Bishop of East Anglia.

Unfortunately for…

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