Cromer lifeboat station
Encyclopedia
Cromer Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Cromer
in the English
county of Norfolk
. The station operates two lifeboats - one for inshore work and the other for offshore work.
The current lifeboat station on the end of Cromer pier was re-built between 1997–1999 to replace the smaller 1923 one which was re-located to Southwold
in Suffolk
where it is used as a lifeboat museum. The new boathouse cost approximately £3 million which was funded by bequests and private donations. Cromer Lifeboat station is one of the most famous of the lifeboat stations operated by the RNLI.
There has been a lifeboat service operated from Cromer for two centuries - predating the establishent of the RNLI. The volunteer crews at Cromer have gained a record of gallantry stretching back to the beginnings of the RNLI. Some of the most notable rescues and service have been carried out by famous coxswains such as Henry Blogg
and Henry "Shrimp" Davies
and their crews. To date there have been awards of 45 Bronze medals, 8 Silver medals and 3 Gold medals.
of Gunton Hall. Other dignitaries on the committee included George Wyndham of Cromer Hall, Thomas Mickleburgh, a local merchant, Joseph Gurney, a Cromer draper and Benjamin Rust who was a grocer. This was the situation of the service until 1857, when with the lifeboat organisation falling into financial troubles and the lifeboats falling into a bad state of repair, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
took over the Cromer station along with other Norfolk Association stations. By this time the association had built a lifeboat house which once stood some 100 yards from the high water mark close to what is now the inshore lifeboat station. The RNLI altered and renovated this station at a cost of £46.2s.7d. but by the mid 1860s this station had outlived its usefulness and a new boathouse was planned. The new site was on the east gangway and in 1864 work started on the new station. The new boathouse took four years to complete and included building an extension to the sea walls and a slipway across the top of the beach. The work cost £476.4s.0d and was carried out by a local builder by the name of E. Simmons. The cost of the station was met by Benjamin Bond Cabbell
who had also bought the new lifeboat for the station.
Cromer
Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles east of Sheringham...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The station operates two lifeboats - one for inshore work and the other for offshore work.
The current lifeboat station on the end of Cromer pier was re-built between 1997–1999 to replace the smaller 1923 one which was re-located to Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
where it is used as a lifeboat museum. The new boathouse cost approximately £3 million which was funded by bequests and private donations. Cromer Lifeboat station is one of the most famous of the lifeboat stations operated by the RNLI.
There has been a lifeboat service operated from Cromer for two centuries - predating the establishent of the RNLI. The volunteer crews at Cromer have gained a record of gallantry stretching back to the beginnings of the RNLI. Some of the most notable rescues and service have been carried out by famous coxswains such as Henry Blogg
Henry Blogg
Henry George Blogg GC BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England.Henry Blogg of Cromer is referred to as "the greatest of the lifeboatmen"...
and Henry "Shrimp" Davies
Henry Thomas Davies
Henry "Shrimp" Thomas Davies BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England. “Shrimp” Davies, as he was affectionately known was one of Cromer Lifeboat's longest serving coxswain. He retired as coxswain in February 1976. He had joined the crew of the Cromer...
and their crews. To date there have been awards of 45 Bronze medals, 8 Silver medals and 3 Gold medals.
History
In the early days of the station the lifeboats were kept outdoors on the east jetty. From 1804 the privately operated service was funded by a subscription fund which was administered by a local committee led by Lord Suffield, the third baronBaron Suffield
Baron Suffield, of Suffield in the County of Norfolk, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1786 for Sir Harbord Harbord, 2nd Baronet, who had previously represented Norwich in the House of Commons for thirty years...
of Gunton Hall. Other dignitaries on the committee included George Wyndham of Cromer Hall, Thomas Mickleburgh, a local merchant, Joseph Gurney, a Cromer draper and Benjamin Rust who was a grocer. This was the situation of the service until 1857, when with the lifeboat organisation falling into financial troubles and the lifeboats falling into a bad state of repair, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....
took over the Cromer station along with other Norfolk Association stations. By this time the association had built a lifeboat house which once stood some 100 yards from the high water mark close to what is now the inshore lifeboat station. The RNLI altered and renovated this station at a cost of £46.2s.7d. but by the mid 1860s this station had outlived its usefulness and a new boathouse was planned. The new site was on the east gangway and in 1864 work started on the new station. The new boathouse took four years to complete and included building an extension to the sea walls and a slipway across the top of the beach. The work cost £476.4s.0d and was carried out by a local builder by the name of E. Simmons. The cost of the station was met by Benjamin Bond Cabbell
Benjamin Bond Cabbell
Benjamin Bond Cabbell FRS DL , British politician and philanthropist, was educated at Westminster School, and went up to Oriel College, Oxford, in June 1800, but left the university in 1803 without a degree. He was called to the bar of the Middle Temple in 1816 and practised on the western circuit...
who had also bought the new lifeboat for the station.