Brighton Lifeboat Station


Brighton Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Brighton in the English county of East Sussex in the United Kingdom. The station currently operates as an inshore lifeboat station but was originally a station for an all-weather lifeboat, however this boat was withdrawn in 1931. The original station was established in 1825. The current lifeboat is the Atlantic 85 RNLB Random Harvest

Location

The station is located in the marina area of the town and is co-ordinated from HM Coastguards at Lee-on-Solent. Being an inshore station, the majority of the station's services are within two miles of the station, often to leisure boats or beach-goers who have got into difficulties. The station is, on average, called to service sixty times a year. The present boathouse and station facilities were constructed and opened in 2000 at a cost of £299,775.

History

The National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, the fore-runner of the RNLI, first opened a lifeboat station in Brighton in 1824. The lifeboat supplied to this inaugural service was kept in a cave close to the Chain Pier. This was the first time that a lifeboat had been housed in a cave in Britain and the service operated from here until 1837, following the construction of the great Madeira sea-wall and Madeira Drive which had begun 1830. In 1837 the lifeboat was withdrawn from the town and it was not until 1858 that another station was opened in the town.

The 1858 station

The town council provided an area on the beach for a new boathouse. The site was opposite the Bedford Hotel close to the West Pier. The station operated from this site until 1868 when it was once again moved to a new location on the beach close by. In 1886 further improvements and alterations to the seafront in Brighton including the re-location of the station following the erection of groynes on the beach. The new station was located on the Western Esplanade, between the two piers, inside two of the spacious arches that were being constructed as part of the seafront re-developments at this time. Arch No. 109 was used to house the RNLI’s lifeboat whilst 110 was used to store all the equipment. In arch No. 111 the town council operated their own lifeboat. The site was used continually until 1931 when the RNLI withdrew the all-weather boat from the town as a result of the nearby Shoreham being equipped with a new motor lifeboat. These arches are now occupied by Brighton Sailing Club but there is a, now unreadable plaque, on the wall between arches 109 & 110 records the Robert Raikes, the first RNLI lifeboat of 1867. This lifeboat replaced the three lifeboats which until 1867 had operated in the town. The lifeboat was named after Robert Raikes, the founder of the Sunday School movement, because this boats funding had come from a collection made by the towns Sunday School children who had collected £580 towards its cost. On the back wall of one of the arches there still remains a large ring anchored into the masonry. This was used to pull the lifeboat back into the arch.

Inshore Lifeboat

Following the withdrawal of cover in 1931 the town had no lifeboats for 34 years until an Inshore lifeboat was sent to the town in 1965. This inflatable D-class boat was kept in an arch under the promenade to the east of the Palace Pier. The lifeboat was funded from donations made by the patrons of a public house in London called The Rising Sun. This lifeboat was withdrawn before the winter of 1974 and the station was closed in 1975. This closure was to be a temporary measure until work was completed on the new Brighton Marina where new lifeboat facilities were included in the plans. During 1977 the station remained open but was none operational and this time was spent on training the crew and staff ready for the station to become operational. In 1978 the station re-opened within the new marine development where a pontoon was provided for the RNLI at the cost of £10,000. The stations inshore lifeboat was kept afloat, and did not become fully operational until 1979. The lifeboat now had a small shelter constructed alongside the pontoon which gave the new Atlantic 21 Lions International some protection. Inside the shelter the lifeboat was housed on a slipway. In 1981 a more permanent boat house was constructed and a temporary shelter was installed on the nearby quayside to house the crew facilities. The station had the distinction of becoming the institute’s first floating lifeboat station. In 1997 the station was provided with a larger Atlantic 75 lifeboat called Thelma Glossop. The new lifeboat arrived on the station on 1 July of that year.

Improvements

In 1999 work began on the construction of new shore facilities for the station on the quayside within the marina. The work was completed in 2000 at a cost of £299.775. In January 2014 the stations facilities were closed down and the station was moved to temporary accommodation a short distance away. The building erected in 2000 was demolished as part of the £235 million re-development and expansion of the Brighton marine. These plans include the building of a new station close to the old location. This new station will include enhanced facilities for the crew and a souvenir shop to help with the institutes fund raising activities
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Awards

From the earliest days of lifeboat services at Brighton, numerous medals and other awards have been presented, including -