Brighton_Lifeboat_Station
Brighton Lifeboat Station
RNLI Lifeboat Station in East Sussex, England
Brighton Lifeboat Station is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station located in Brighton in the English county of East Sussex in the United Kingdom.[2] It was originally established in 1825 as an all-weather lifeboat station. This lifeboat was withdrawn in 1931, and the station now operates as an inshore lifeboat station.[3] As of 2012[update], the current lifeboat is the B-class (Atlantic 85) Random Harvest (B-852).[3]
| Brighton Lifeboat Station | |
|---|---|
Brighton Lifeboat Station (Now under re-development[1]) | |
| General information | |
| Type | RNLI Lifeboat Station |
| Architectural style | Steelframe Boathouse with brick and block construction |
| Location | Brighton Marina, East Sussex, BN2 5UF |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 50°48′39.6″N 0°06′15.4″W |
| Opened | 1825 - 1931 re-established in 1965 |
| Owner |  Royal National Lifeboat Institution |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Concrete, brick, block and Steel |
The station is located in the marina area of Brighton 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. The station is called to an average of sixty rescues a year.[4]
The National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, the forerunner of the RNLI, first opened a lifeboat station in Brighton in 1824. The lifeboat for this station was kept in a cave, close to the Chain Pier. The service operated from this cave until 1837, when the construction of the Madeira sea-wall and Madeira Drive was completed.[5][6] At that time, the lifeboat was withdrawn from the town, and it was not until 1858 that another station was opened in Brighton.[7]
1858–1931
In 1858, the town council provided an area on the beach for a new boathouse opposite the Bedford Hotel close to the West Pier.[7] The station was relocated twice in the next decades, once in 1868 and again in 1886 following improvements to the Brighton seafront.[7] After 1886, the station was located on the Western Esplanade between the two piers. The site was used until 1931 when the RNLI withdrew the all-weather boat from the town after nearby Shoreham Station was equipped with a motor lifeboat.[7]
1965 - Inshore lifeboats
After 1931, Brighton had no lifeboats of its own until it received an inflatable D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat in 1965, funded from public donations. D-class lifeboats served until the winter of 1974 and the station was closed in 1975.
In 1978 the station re-opened at the new Brighton Marina where a pontoon was provided for the RNLI at the cost of £10,000.[7] A McLachlan-class lifeboat (A-509) was placed on service until the Atlantic 21 Lions International (B-539) became fully operational in 1979.[8]
In 1981 a permanent boathouse was constructed and a temporary shelter was installed on the nearby quayside to house the crew facilities. This new permanent station was the RNLI's first floating lifeboat station.[7]
In 1997 the station was provided with a larger B-class (Atlantic 75) lifeboat called Thelma Glossop (B-737).[8] The new lifeboat arrived on the station on 1 July of that year.
1999 and 2014 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.[9]
In January 2014, the station's facilities were closed and the station moved to temporary accommodation nearby. The 2000 building was demolished as part of the £235 million[1] re-development and expansion of the Brighton Marina.
A new Atlantic 85-class lifeboat, Random Harvest (B-852) was placed on service on 8 September 2011.[10] Atlantic 75-class lifeboat Thelma Glossop (B-737) was transferred to Loch Ness where she served for another 2 years.[8]
The following are awards made at Brighton[10][11]
- Captain Digby Marsh, RN, coastguard, - 1840
- Charles Watts - 1824
- Lt. Edward Franklin, RN, coastguard - 1838
- Lt. George Franklyn, RN, coastguard- 1839
- Lt. Nathaniel Newnham, RN, coastguard - 1840
- Lt. Thomas Henry Prior, RN, coastguard - 1840
- Lt. James Pratt, RN, coastguard - 1840
- Richard Pearce, Helmsman - 1996
- Martin Ebdell, crew member - 1996
- Edward Purches, crew member - 1996
- The Maud Smith Award 1995
(for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew)
- Richard Pearce, Helmsman - 1996
- The Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award 1995
(for the outstanding inshore lifeboat rescue of the year)
- Richard Pearce, Helmsman - 1996
- Edward Purches, crew member - 1996
- Martin Ebdell, crew member - 1996
- The Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award 1997
(for the outstanding inshore lifeboat rescue of the year)
- Mark Smith, Helmsman - 1998
- Mark Hayes, crew member - 1998
- The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum
- Alan John Young, Helmsman - 1986
- Roger George Cohen, crew member - 1986
- Stanley Todd, crew member - 1986
- Mark Smith, Helmsman - 1997
- Mark Hayes, crew member - 1997
- Mark Smith, Helmsman - 2011
- A framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution
- G Wheeler - 1967
- P Avey - 1967
- E C Newman - 1967
- Brighton Lifeboat Station - 1996
- Mr Peter Apps, Auxiliary Coastguard - 1996
- Mr Nick Gilbert, Auxiliary Coastguard - 1996
- Berenice McCall, crew member - 1997
- Anthony Parsons, crew member - 1997
- Marcus Morris, crew member - 2011
All-weather lifeboats
| ON[lower-alpha 1] | Name | In service [8] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Unnamed | 1825–1837 | 20-foot Norfolk & Suffolk-class (P&S) | [14] Station Closed, 1837 |
| – | Unnamed | 1858–1867 | 30-foot Self-righting (P&S) | Station Opened, 1858 [14] |
| – | Robert Raikes | 1867–1874 | 33-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [14] |
| – | Robert Raikes | 1874–1888 | 32-foot Self-righting (P&S) | [14] |
| 145 | Sunlight No.2 | 1888–1904 | 34-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 539 | William Wallis | 1904–1923 | 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) | |
| 501 | Reserve No.6A | 1923–1924 | 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) | Formerly Dash at Blyth |
| 539 | William Wallis | 1924–1931 | 35-foot Self-righting (P&S) | All-Weather lifeboat withdrawn, station closed 1931 |
Inshore Lifeboats
| Op. No.[lower-alpha 2] | Name | In service [8] | Class | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-39 | Unnamed | 1965–1967 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-158 | Unnamed | 1968 | D-class (RFD PB16) | |
| D-178 | Unnamed | 1970–1974 | D-class (RFD PB16) | Station Closed 1974 |
| A-509 | Unnamed | 1978 | McLachlan-class | Station Reopened 1978 |
| B-539 | Lions International District 105 SE | 1978–1989 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-577 | Graham Hillier and Tony Carter | 1989–1997 | B-class (Atlantic 21) | |
| B-737 | Thelma Glossop | 1997–2011 | B-class (Atlantic 75) | [15] |
| B-852 | Random Harvest | 2011– | B-class (Atlantic 85) | [16] |
- "Brighton RNLI relocates while bigger, better base is built". News about the re-location of the lifeboat station. The Argus © 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- "Brighton Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- "Brighton Lifeboat – A Brief History". Brighton Lifeboat Station. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
- "A Little More About What We Do". Brighton Lifeboat Station. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- Royal Institute of British Architects (1988). A Guide to the Buildings of Brighton. Macclesfield, Cheshire: McMillan Martin. p. 58. ISBN 1-869865-03-0. OCLC 44523940.
- "History of Madeira Drive - Brighton". This Brighton. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- For Those In Peril – The Lifeboat Service of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, Station by Station. Author: Leach, Nicholas. Publisher: Silver Link Publishing Ltd, First Issue 1999. Work:Part 2, South Coast of England – Eastbourne to Weston-super-Mare, Page 72, Brighton Lifeboat Station. ISBN 1 85794 129 2
- Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboats Enthusiasts Society. pp. 4–132.
- "Brighton Lifeboat Station – RNLI website". Reference within the History tab on the home page. RNLI © 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- "Brighton Station History". RNLI. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN 0 907605 89 3.
- "Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". The Gazette. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- Mellor, Hatti (9 November 2022). "Brighton RNLI volunteer awarded MBE after 40 years service". RNLI. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2021). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2021 (2021 ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 2–18.
- "Brighton's Atlantic 75 Named". RNLI. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- "Random Harvest: new RNLI lifeboat launched". My Brighton and Hove. Retrieved 24 April 2012.