Storm surges battered the coast, and the cliffs crumbled. Entire streets fell into the water. The harbour gradually silted up, cutting off trade. One by one, its churches and houses disappeared beneath the waves. Today, much of the medieval town lies underwater, its remains claimed by the North Sea.

Relentless coastal erosion and a series of devastating storms in the 13th and 14th centuries tore chunks out of Dunwich’s cliffs. The town’s harbour became choked with sand, killing its economy. Without trade, the population dwindled, and the sea claimed what was left.

By the modern era, Dunwich had shrunk to a small village, its former glory hidden beneath the waves.

Much of the medieval town was underwater, turning it into a submerged archaeological site, or Britain's Atlantis. Divers have located the remains of buildings and streets beneath the North Sea. The cliffs still reveal traces of medieval structures as they erode. Dunwich is a living reminder of how quickly the sea can erase human achievement.

How does it feel to know that a once-great city is now under the sea?

Pretty unsettling, to be honest. The idea that a place as important as Dunwich can simply vanish almost entirely makes me wonder how many more stories the sea has swallowed without a trace.

Would I want to visit it one day?

Yes. Both the modern village, or rather, what's left of it, and the coastline. I'd want to stand at the cliff edge and imagine the streets stretching out into the water, picturing the ships that once filled the harbour.