Chiswick RNLI becomes Wandsworth Riverside RNLI

The four lifeboat stations along the Thames were opened in January 2002 after a very short lead in time using what locations and facilities were immediately available . At Chiswick the lifeboat shared a building with the Chiswick Pier Trust. Meeting rooms, kitchen and toilets were shared spaces. The kit room was just a small cupboard, the 60 volunteers had to take their kit home after every shift.

Soon after the RNLI started the search and rescue Service on the tidal Thames the search was on for a permanent location with adequate facilities. Many sites were considered, sketch plans were drawn up for a floating station in two locations. After 20 years the building in Wandsworth became available. Originally the sales centre for the extensive riverside quarter development, the building became offices, and finally, after a change of use was approved, and after a total refit, is now the new lifeboat station.

The new station has over ten times the floor space of the leased part of the building in Chiswick. There is a large kit room with hanging space for every volunteer so they no longer have to take everything home with them. There is a dedicated meeting room which can be used for management meetings or laid out for training sessions. There are bunk/rest rooms for each duty and each off duty crew member. A large open plan crew room with a well equipped galley at last has adequate space for crew who are on duty in 12 hour shifts 24/7.

On the ground floor a public engagement space has it own entrance separate from the operational part of the building. The space will be used for water safety and education visits as well as retail sales. In summer, events can expand onto the large terrace facing the river.

The Lifeboat crews will continue to operate in the same patch between Battersea and Richmond so will still be a familiar sight along the riverside in Chiswick.

Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station is the second busiest in the UK and Ireland. Its crews attended 212 incidents from Chiswick in 2026 before the move to Wandsworth. Since the RNLI search and rescue service on the Thames started in 2002, Chiswick Lifeboat has attended over 5,600 incidents and rescued over 2,500 people. The RNLI is entirely funded by public donations.

RNLI Media Contacts

David Clarke, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for RNLI South East, [email protected]

Stella Sims, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for London and South East England, 07483 316675, [email protected]

Sam Haddad, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for London and South East England, 01202 137713, [email protected]

Julie Rainey, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for London and South East England, 07827 358256, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789, [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok 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.