Eastbourne Museum

Housed in the 1898 RNLI William Terriss Memorial Boathouse, the museum tells the town’s story of nearly 200 years of lifesaving history, including medal-winning rescues and Dunkirk’s Operation Dynamo.

Inside the Eastbourne RNLI Lifeboat Museum in East Sussex

About the museum

Eastbourne Museum tells the story of nearly 200 years of lifeboating in the town. The museum is part of the old Eastbourne lifeboat house, built in 1898 in memory of William Terriss, an actor who was murdered on the steps of London's Adelphi Theatre the previous year.

Our exhibits cover daring, award-winning rescues, the lifeboat's involvement with the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk during the Second World War, and the development of search and rescue technology throughout Eastbourne's proud history.

The museum shares the William Terriss Memorial Boathouse with an RNLI shop – don’t forget to stop by and pick up a souvenir!

Get Directions

Visit us

Museum address
Eastbourne RNLI Museum
King Edward's Parade
Eastbourne
BN21 4BY

Telephone
01323 730717

Opening times

Due to the current coronavirus situation only the shop is open. We are working to open the museum soon.

1 January–2 March
10am-3pm

3 March–30 March
10am-4pm

31 March–26 October
10am-5pm

27 October–23 December
10am-4pm

24 December-End of February 2019
10am-3pm

The shop and museum will be closed on 25 and 31 December.

In the event of bad weather and/or volunteer unavailability the above times may vary.

Admission

Free