There’s been a lifeboat station in the picturesque town of Tenby, in south west Wales, for 160 years – but it’s not always been in the same place

The station was established in 1852 by the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society and handed over to the RNLI 2 years later.

The first RNLI building for storing and protecting the lifeboat was built in 1862 at a cost of £190. It was replaced by an improved boathouse nearer to the beach in 1895 that was later adapted to accommodate the new 12-oared Watson class lifeboat, William and Mary Devey, that arrived on station in 1902.

In 1904 work started on a new lifeboathouse and slipway for deeper water alongside the now demolished Victoria Pier. It was completed in 1905 at a cost of £3,872 and later adapted for the first motor lifeboat, John R. Webb, which arrived on station in 1923.

An additional D class lifeboat was sent to the station in 1972 so a new small boathouse was constructed for her in 1976.

The slipway boathouse was adapted again in 1986 for the Tyne class all-weather lifeboat R.F.A. Sir Galahad. A side extension was added to accommodate a mechanic’s workshop and a souvenir outlet but the building was proving difficult and costly to maintain, while more changes were going to be needed for a new type of lifeboat.

The current station was built in 2005 on the site of Victoria Pier to house the faster, more technologically advanced Tamar class lifeboat. The difficult location and the environmentally sensitive nature of the site contributed to the £6.5M cost to build it.

The old slipway station was a listed building so the charity was unable to demolish it and could not justify the cost of maintaining it. The dilemma was solved when it was bought by Mr and Mrs O’Donovan who wanted to turn it into an unusual home. Undaunted by the magnitude of the task, they have lovingly converted it into an unusual, yet comfortable, residence with breathtaking seaviews while retaining the building’s integrity and outward appearance.

The new home was featured in Channel 4’s Grand Designs in September. Philomena O’Donovan explained she was brought up in a town with a lifeboat community (Baltimore), which influenced the decision to buy the boathouse. If you didn't see the episode you can watch it on channel4.com/4od.

As always, Tenby lifeboat crews are rescuing people at sea but these days they can get to people far quicker. Now too, RNLI lifeguards patrol Tenby’s beach during the holiday season, working alongside their lifeboat colleagues.