ON THE BEACH

Museums' Exhibitions

Click on the titles and pictures below to enter the online exhibitions
or click on the museum names for musuem information.

THE CROMER LIFEBOAT SHED

Index

Introduction

The story of the Shed is really quite extraordinary. Having been in service on Cromer pier for 75 years, it was condemmed in 1997. However, it was saved from disposal by the Contractor and taken to Lowestoft. A chance series of events saw it saved, transported and placed in Southwold as the permanent home for the ALFRED CORRY.

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THE CROMER LIFEBOAT SHED

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ON THE BEACH

The double shed which orginally housed the Southwold lifeboats was situated on the beach about 200 metres north of the present harbour mouth. The current museum is about 40 metres north of the harbour wall, also on the beach (car park).

Originally built by the RNLI in 1923, the building type was the first of its kind. Oak and pitch pine beams, diagonally boarded Columbian pine studwork walls, with a distinctive curved zinc roof, echoing seaside pier architecture of times gone by. The shed is 60ft by 24ft internally, and some 30ft at its highest point.

The shed has a history and heritage of lifeboats (when it was at Cromer) second to none in the United Kingdom. It has seen the coming and going of a number of lifeboats the saving of over 1000 lives, and of its association with the most highly decorated lifeboatman of the R.N.L.I. to date, Coxwain Henry George Blogg, who was a lifeboatman from this shed for 53 years. He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Institution (which was only given for extreme gallantry) three times, the Silver medal four times, and he held the George Cross and British Empire Medal.