North Berwick RNLI receive keys to renovated historic collection box

The box, at the junction of The Quadrant and East Road, near the tennis courts had lain unnoticed under layers of peeling paint and rust for years. Its true purpose was a mystery until a similar collection box from Penlee RNLI appeared on the BBC television show ‘The Repair Shop’.

A second collection box was identified outside the Rocketeer Restaurant at the Harbour, just next to the boathouse, half buried. This was uplifted by Martin Whittaker in 2022, a volunteer with the RNLI heritage team, and underwent extensive restoration. It is currently waiting for the submission of a planning application before being returned to the harbour area.

Once locals had found out what the mysterious boxes were, the Bass Rock Community Group set to work and over the course of two years have stripped the layers of paint and rust away, restoring the collection box back to its former glory.

The keys were handed over to boat house manager, and collection box secretary Ian McMinn on Saturday (25 July) with members of the Bass Rock Community Group and RNLI there to celebrate.

Lifeboat Operations Manager, Ricky Martin said: ‘We are hugely grateful to the members of the Bass Rock Community group for their efforts in restoring this piece of North Berwick RNLI history.'

'Similar cast iron collection boxes have been dated to the early 1900s so knowing that it has been restored back to its former glory, and is once again be collecting life saving donations is really heartening.'

'The RNLI has been saving lives at sea with the support of coastal communities since 1824. Here at North Berwick it was the community who petitioned for a lifeboat to be stationed here in 1860. It's wonderful to see that the community connection is still strong.'

The collection boxes stand about a meter in height and were cast out of iron by the Preston & Bishop, Victoria Foundry from Clement Street, Birmingham. It is believed around 150 of these were made between 1860 and the 1930s, with around 30 known to still exist in England, though many more are perhaps languishing unnoticed.

The dates of the North Berwick collection boxes are unknown, though RNLI established a lifeboat station in 1860, and the tennis courts were built in 1914, with the North Berwick Lawn Tennis Club founded in 1920. It is likely that the collection boxes are at least 100 years old.

Notes to editors

• It cost £1,360 a year to train each crew member in the lifesaving skills they need to answer the call for help
• In 2025 the RNLI spent £196.9M delivering its lifesaving service.
• Across the UK, Ireland and the Channel Islands, RNLI lifeboat crews based out of 238 lifeboat stations helped 8,290 people and saved 272 lives as the charity’s lifeboats launched more than 9,000 times in 2025, making it the sixth-busiest year in the charity’s history. More here

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