
200 years of saving lives at sea in south west: RNLI history on interactive map
Historic England marks the 200th anniversary of the RNLI with the listing of a historic gem in Cornwall and a new interactive map featuring South West landmarks connected with the lifesaving charity.
Historic England and the RNLI are asking people in the south west to add their own contributions to the Missing Pieces Project, to add to the story of the listed landmarks featured on the new interactive map. Through the Missing Pieces Project, Historic England invites everyone to discover the listed places on their doorstep and contribute their own unique piece to the picture by adding photos, videos, stories and memories on the National Heritage List for England.
The RNLI has been saving lives at sea since 1824. Over the past 200 years, lifeboat stations have become an important part of our coastal heritage, acting as beacons of safety, while churches and memorials honour and remember the people who have bravely risked their lives to save others. Many of these sites are protected through listing, and whilst most are not owned or managed by the RNLI, they all have strong connections to the lifesaving charity and its history.
Newly listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, is the Church of St Mary in Cadgwith, Cornwall, whose first vicar, Rev. Henry Vyvyan, was an active member of the RNLI and was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for Gallantry.
Rarely seen photographs have also been shared by the RNLI to highlight the charity’s rich history, showing proud volunteer lifeboat crews and historic lifeboat stations from the past 200 years.
Help us to discover more about the places in the South West that have protected people at sea by adding your unique piece of the RNLI story to Historic England’s Missing Pieces Project.
Duncan Wilson, Historic England Chief Executive, said: ‘This fascinating collection of historic sites tell the stories of the men, women and communities who have made our seas safer over the past two hundred years. Their dedication, bravery and sacrifice have helped to save so many lives and their stories inspire us. This is a great opportunity to discover places around England with history connected to the RNLI and to add your part to the story.’
Hayley Whiting, the RNLI’s Heritage Archive and Research Manager, said: ‘Through this project with Historic England we have been able to share rarely seen photos from the RNLI archive of sites around England which have a close connection with the RNLI and its lifesaving heritage. The list includes boathouses, collection boxes, monuments, and memorials, many of which are no longer RNLI-owned or managed, but all of which have a fascinating and important connection with the charity’s long lifesaving history.’
‘It is particularly significant that we have been able to collaborate with Historic England on this project during the RNLI’s 200th anniversary year, and we hope many members of the public will now be inspired to go online to the Missing Pieces Project and add their own contributions, to really help bring to life the stories, history and character of these significant sites.’
The Church of St Mary, in the small fishing village of Cadgwith on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, is important for its unusual architecture and its connection with a major event in the history of the RNLI.
St Mary’s was built as a mission church and chapel of ease (an Anglican chapel situated for the convenience of parishioners living too far from the parish church) for the local community in 1898.
It is an example of a ‘tin tabernacle’, a prefabricated corrugated iron building developed in the mid-19th century as a relatively low-cost way to establish a place of worship in fast-growing urban and rural areas. Many were built during the upsurge in Non-Conformism, which was particularly strong in Cornwall. Few of these buildings survive today, having been designed for temporary use until permanent structures could be built.
The first vicar of St Mary’s, Reverend Henry Vyvyan, was an active member of the RNLI and was recognised as one of the most distinguished honorary secretaries of the institution, serving the Cadgwith station (Grade II listed) from 1898 until his death in 1937. He received a RNLI silver medal for gallantry for his active role, with the Cadgwith lifeboat Minnie Moon, in the rescue of 227 survivors from the White Star liner Suevic when it ran aground off the Lizard Point on 17 March 1907. The rescue of a total of 456 passengers and crew from the liner without any loss of life remains the largest in the institution’s history.
The Church of St Mary was listed at Grade II in February 2024.
Historic England’s new interactive map shows the listed places – former lifeboat stations, memorials, churches, donation boxes, and more – that can be found around south west England. These are:
Church of Pol De Leon, Mousehole - has a memorial to the lost crew of the Penlee Lifeboat
Truro Cathedral - has a tribute to the Penlee Disaster in the Cathedral. Former mast is centre piece to tribute
RNLI collection box, Penzance - Rare collection box. Date uncertain but possibly inter-war.
Church of St Mary, Cadgwith, Cornwall - Newly listed Feb 2024. Reverend Vyvyan an Hon Sec of RNLI, served with Cadgwith station from 1898. Received RNLI Silver Medal for his role in the Suevic rescue.
Former Penlee Point lifeboat house, slipway, retaining and boundary walls, and memorial garden, Penlee, Cornwall - RNLI Penlee Lifeboat Station was built 1911-13 with a concrete roller slipway at a cost of £3,326. Alterations were made in 1960. The building was closed in 1983 and a new lifeboat building was established with the lifeboat kept afloat.
Lifeboat house and slipway, Weston Super Mare - Station established 1882. Number of buildings on the pier built by the RNLI
Lifeboat house, Cadgwith, Cornwall - Closed station - established in 1867, closed in 1963. Building - 1867.
Lifeboat house, Lizard (Church Cove), Cornwall - The station was part of Lizard Lifeboat Station and called Lizard (Church Cove). The station only saw one active service and was closed in 1899. Building - 1885.
Watch tower studio and former lifeboat shed, Looe, Cornwall - Established in 1866. The boathouse was built and described in 'The Lifeboat journal' as "somewhat ornamental in character" and was built with a tower providing a reading room for the pilots and fishermen. The station was closed in 1930 and the building became a public shelter. The lifeboat station was reopened in a new location in 1992 as an inshore lifeboat station.
Old lifeboat house, Penzance, Cornwall - A lifeboat station operated at Penzance 1803-1917 (lapsed 1828-1851). Building - 1884
Portloe Church, Portloe, Cornwall - Portloe Lifeboat Station was established in 1870. The station was established to provide cover between Falmouth and Mevagissey and the lifeboat house was built at a cost of £169. This building was closed in 1876 and sold. The lifeboat there was never launched.
Old lifeboat house, Teignmouth, Devon – in use by RNLI - RNLI Teignmouth Lifeboat Station was established in 1851 and taken over by the RNLI in 1854. In 1862 the original boathouse was pulled down and rebuilt with doors facing the harbour, making for easier and speedier launching. The station closed in 1940. The lifeboat station reopened in 1990.The station's B class inshore lifeboat is kept in the original 1862 boathouse.
Life boat house, Salcombe, Devon - RNLI Salcombe Lifeboat Station was established in 1869. The building was completed in 1870, located at South Sands. In 1922 the lifeboat was moved from South Sands to permanent mooring in the harbour.
The old life boat house and slip way, Newquay, Cornwall - RNLI Newquay Lifeboat Station was established in 1860. This lifeboat station was constructed at Towan Head and the slipway was adapted for £200. The station closed in 1934 and the building reverted to the Town Council. The station temporarily reopened 1940-45 and then reopened in 1965 as an inshore lifeboat station in 1965 in a new location.
Inner Hope former lifeboat station, Hope Cove, Cornwall - In 1878 at the invitation of the local residents an RNLI lifeboat station was established at Hope Cove, managed by Salcombe lifeboat station. A boathouse was built near the water's edge on a site given by The Earl of Devon (cost £320). The station was closed in 1930.
Lifeboat house with slipway on foreshore, Clovelly, Devon – in use by RNLI - RNLI Clovelly Lifeboat Station was established in 1870 and the lifeboat house constructed at a cost of £175. In 1892 the lifeboat house was reconstructed and a slipway provided at a cost of £1,065. In 1988 the station was closed and later reopened in 1998 as an inshore lifeboat station.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.