Trip back in time
The RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection is
housed at Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent.
Among the exhibits in the RNLI display are the St Paul, an 1897 unrestored Norfolk and Suffolk-type lifeboat; the 1909-built pulling and sailing carriage-launched lifeboat Lizzie Porter and the 1958 Oakley class JG Graves of Sheffield. There are 17 lifeboats in all, as well as a launching tractor and various artefacts.
2011 is a great time to visit the lifeboat collection, as the displays have just had a 21st-century refresh. The gallery is currently closed for its Winter break, and will reopen in mid-February.