The RNLI’s many boathouses are often adapted through their lifetimes to meet changing operational needs but sometimes they must be vacated entirely – and then enter a whole new existence

If walls could speak, those of old lifeboat stations could surely tell some tales of the past – of the sailing and pulling lifeboats they housed, of the courageous people they sheltered, of the hard-working lifeboat launchers, and the wives and families who waited for news of difficult rescues.

Many lifeboathouses are in hard-to-reach, awe-inspiring locations. All are on the cusp of land and sea, exposed to the elements. As well as centres of lifesaving activity, they are unique buildings from which to observe the vastness of the sea and the ever-changing weather.

To vacate a lifeboat station is never a decision to be taken lightly but there can be good reasons for doing so. Howard Richings, Estates Manager for the RNLI, explains: ‘The RNLI has generally had excellent value from buildings dating back to Victorian times but, from time to time, boathouses and slipways reach the end of their operational or economic lives. Even the best-constructed and maintained buildings finally succumb to the ravages of storms and salt spray: steel corrodes, reinforced concrete spalls [flakes or fragments], and timber is attacked by gribble worm and other marine borers.

‘The surrounding environment can change too. Channels can silt up and accretion or erosion can leave boathouses remote from the sea or stranded offshore. And the continuous development of evermore- powerful lifeboats, and changes in marine traffic, can lead to a change to the type of lifeboat and thence boathouse required – or even end the need for a station at all.’

The statistics bear this out. The first half of the 20th century saw a dramatic reduction in the number of lifeboat stations, from well over 300 to about 150, largely due to the introduction of motorised lifeboats in the 1930s. But this trend was spectacularly reversed throughout the remainder of the century, starting with the introduction of inshore lifeboats in the 1960s. In a number of cases, old stations were reacquired by the RNLI (for example North Berwick and Port Isaac) but many found new leases of life as private residences, restaurants, post offices, community halls and even public conveniences.

One person who understands the atmosphere of a lifeboat station well is Sam Sixton. Sam has been a volunteer lifeboat crew member at Fowey for 8 years. He is a restaurateur by trade, running the eponymous Sam’s restaurant in the town. Recently he has opened a second restaurant, this time housed in an old lifeboathouse a couple of miles along the coast, nestled right on the waterside in the village of Polkerris. Sam and his wife have lovingly restored the boathouse, trying to capture the history and soul of the building by mixing their own artwork with original RNLI launch and rescue boards dating back to 1859 (see photos overleaf).

Sam says: ‘We acquired the lease from the Rashleigh Estate at the beginning of 2009 after many years of taking an interest in the building. It was converted in the early 1950s to a family home and beach café. Several owners ran seasonal cafés before we were offered the lease. We wanted to be sympathetic to the history of the building so have kept the infrastructure where possible, such as the crew room and its ladder access, and the slipway and glass frontage.

Customers can dine looking onto the beach and in bad weather you can see just how testing launching on a Winter’s night might have been!’

A very prominent lifeboathouse in Pembrokeshire is the latest to have changed hands. When the RNLI decided to locate a Tamar lifeboat at Tenby it knew this latest class of craft wouldn’t fit the boathouse or the slipway. Also, the coastline had shifted over the years, leaving the station high and dry at some low tides. An entirely new structure had to be built. But the old one was such a landmark that the local authority did not want it to be dismantled. (See pictured on previous page.) It was eventually sold to Mr T O'Donovan, who has plans to turn it into a highly unusual dwelling.

The RNLI is thrilled to have found someone willing to take over the building. Had no alternative use been found then the charity would have had to pay £100,000s for its demolition or maintenance.

Supporter Margaret Duffy wrote to the Lifeboat magazine in 2004 to say: ‘In 1995 I bought a disused RNLI boathouse at Greencastle, Co Donegal, on the shore of Lough Foyle. It had last been used by the RNLI in 1928 and had since been a store for cattle fodder and farm machinery. It was just four walls and a roof.’ Margaret enlisted the help of an architect and a builder to retain the building's original features.

She continued: ‘It has been hard work but is now what many have called “a little piece of heaven”. There is an air of peace and calm within the house, on which all who have visited have remarked. I feel this is like a scent, almost sacred, of the dedication of the many generous and courageous men who gave their time in service of those in danger.’ A remarkable home indeed.

The RNLI’s most recently constructed boathouses are built to withstand the extreme marine environment for at least 50 years. Projects are underway at Shoreham and Bembridge, with plans to start at The Lizard after April. Providing shelter for the charity’s lifeboats and facilities for their crews is an evolving process but these special buildings will always be places that capture the imagination.