The RNLI's Shoreworks Manager, Howard Richings, looks at the way that lifeboat houses have changed to reflect the changing demands made upon them In the early years RNLI boathouses were very basic.

Resources were scarce and the emphasis was placed on the boats themselves, with existing stores, warehouses and simple sheds being pressed into use to house them.

However as the Institution became established and the Victorian era began the appearance of its boathouses underwent something of a revolution.

The Victorian attitude to institutions, and to the importance of high quality public buildings, led to considerable investment in solid, appropriately designed boathouses. The appointment of an Honorary Architect, Charles Cooke, in 1858 was a milestone in the development of lifeboat house design.

Cooke took up the appointment at 28 and worked for the Institution until his death in 1888. More than 200 boathouses are attributed either directly to him, or to the continued influence of his designs during the remaining years of the 19th century. In addition to his RNLI work Charles Cooke also undertook ecclesiastical commissions - and a number of the solidly-built masonry boathouses with their distinctly chapel-like appearances are still to be seen today. A few are still in use as RNLI boathouses, while a number have been converted for private use.

Cooke's first commission was a design for a boathouse in Colombo, in what was then Ceylon. This building had broad overhanging eaves, possibly to provide protection from the tropical sun, and some of his subsequent designs, like the boathouse at Walmer in Kent, have similar details.

Following Cooke's death in 1888 W. T. Douglass was appointed as Engineer and Architect to the Institution - the title recognising the need for engineering design to complement architectural aesthetics.

Douglass continued the use of traditional stone and slate, and the survival of many buildings bears witness to the durability of the materials and the prudence of investing in relatively expensive buildings.

Clovelly and Ilfracombe boathouses, both built in 1893, are still sound buildings and although Ilfracombe was recently taken out of use Clovelly is being given a new lease of life and should be back in use in time for the anniversary celebrations.

The Middle Years From about 1910 onwards increasing use was made of reinforced concrete and steel, and over the next 20 years a number of major slipway stations were built, forming another distinctive group of immediately identifiable lifeboat houses. Their construction in some of the most exposed locations around our coast was a considerable engineering achievement, and many became well-known landmarks: Cromer and Mumbles at the end of their piers; Tenby, Barrow and Bembridge with their own access bridges and the similar, but later buildings at The Lizard and Padstow.

The coming of motorised lifeboats from the 1930s onwards saw a reduction in the number of lifeboat stations, as the powered boats were able to go against tide and wind reducing the number of places at which lifeboats were needed. With the exception of new stations at The Lizard and Padstow the middle years of the current century saw little new building. The financial resources of the Institution were limited and what was available was directed into repair and maintenance. Durable though steel and concrete were the slipway structures of the 1920s required major repair works after 30 years exposure to seawater and storms.

Many stations were extensively repaired in the 1950s and this extended their lives into the 1990s.

Modern Times The last decade has seen a major building programme to meet the demands of an expanding and more sophisticated fleet, and also the need to provide modern facilities for crews. The seeds of this programme were sown in the mid- 1960s with the introduction of the first inshore lifeboats. This new breed reversed the decline in the number of stations and saw the reopening of stations closed in the 1920s and '30s.

At first they were housed in simple prefabricated buildings, and in many ways the first 25 years of inshore lifeboats was a reflection of the first 25 years of the RNLI itself.

The limited funds were spent on the lifeboats, and the shore facilities were very basic.

An improved financial position in the 1980s and a major modernisation programme for the all-weather fleet, led to a building programme so that the new lifeboats could be housed properly and their volunteer crews provided with modern facilities.

In 1989 the first of the new class of fast carriage-launched lifeboats went to Hastings, and although this boat was squeezed into the existing boathouse this was not possible for most of the remaining 31 Mersey stations. Not only was there a need for new, larger boathouses but the planning environment had changed radically since the originals were built.

Designs not only had to be durable and functional but also had to satisfy the aspirations of communities. A century-and-a-half after Cooke took up his honorary appointment the emphasis swung back again to architecturally designed boathouses, but still with a need for strong civil engineering support.

The Mersey boathouses saw a wide range of styles with a common theme of high quality. The tried and tested stone and slate were employed at St Ives while a modern contemporary design using stainless steel houses Aldeburgh's lifeboat.

Where planning policies allowed more utilitarian designs were employed, but still with the emphasis on good facilities, long life and low maintenance.

The real revolution, however, has been in the housing of inshore lifeboats.

The early utilitarian buildings had a limited life, and the rapid expansion of the Atlantic class produced a demand for many new boathouses, often in sensitive areas.

Examples can be seen all around the coast, with traditional materials like granite and slate widely used in Cornwall and Wales, shiplap timber in East Anglia and local stone claddings in Scotland and Ireland.

Several new boathouses which had to comply with stringent design criteria were built last year. In Cromer the new slipway station at the end of the listed Victorian pier had to face a 700-mile fetch to the Arctic, and also suit the prominent historic location. On the other side of the country a new boathouse and visitor centre in the shadow of Blackpool's famous tower had to match the Victorian theme set for that part of the promenade while still projecting the modern image of the lifeboat service.

Any one who visits one of the many recently modernised stations will certainly appreciate the efforts made by the RNLI to invest in high quality buildings that will serve the lifeboats and their crews into the next millennium..