Chiswick Lifeboat Station was located on the north bank of the River Thames at Corney Reach, Chiswick, in west London.
The lifeboat station was established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 2002. It s notable for being one of the first stations to cover a stretch of river, rather than estuarial waters or the sea.
The station closed in September 2026, when operations were relocated to the new station.
History The inquiry set up after the collision in 1989 between the Marchioness and the dredger Bowbelle, that resulted in the loss of 51 lives, recommended a dedicated search and rescue presence on the Thames. The government approached the RNLI, who agreed to provide a rescue service that covered the tidal Thames, between Teddington and the sea.
Locations were approved for stations at , Chiswick, (located at Victoria Embankment next to Waterloo Bridge), and at . All four stations became operational at the beginning of 2002.
Chiswick Lifeboat Station commenced service on 2 January 2002, and operated initially with two temporary Inshore lifeboats. An E-class Tiger Marine fast response boat was soon placed on service, and was named Chelsea Pensioner (E-003) at a ceremony held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on 19 July 2002. A second lifeboat Joan and Kenneth Bellamy (E-006) also arrived on service at Chiswick in 2002.
Demand for the services of the Thames lifeboats proved to be much higher than originally anticipated. In 2002, their first year of operation, Thames lifeboats were called out over 800 times, accounting for 10% of the total number of call-outs, or "shouts", for the whole of the RNLI nationwide. Within two months of opening, Chiswick became, and continued to be, the UK's second busiest lifeboat station after Tower Lifeboat Station in Central London. Between 2002 and mid-2018, Chiswick was called to 3,387 incidents and rescued more than 1,620 people.
In 2012, three new E-class lifeboat Mark II lifeboats, E-07, E-08 and E-09, joined the Thames fleet at served at both Chiswick and stations. Chelsea Pensioner (E-003) was retired in 2015, followed in 2018 by Joan and Kenneth Bellamy (E-006). With a new larger E-class lifeboat Mark III lifeboat arriving at in 2019, Chiswick became the principal station for Dougie and Donna B (E-08), and Brawn Challenge (E-09).
New station
At Chiswick, the RNLI shared the building with the Chiswick Pier Trust. With insufficient storage facilities, the 60 volunteers had to take their kit home after every shift. The meeting rooms, kitchen and toilets were all shared spaces. In late 2023, with the Chiswick station no longer large enough for operational requirements, the RNLI acquired the former marketing building in Wandsworth Riverside Quarter, approximately downstream from the Chiswick station.
Planning permission was granted for change of use, with the building converted to be the new lifeboat station.
Operations began from Wandsworth Riverside on 22 October 2026.
Chiswick lifeboats Op.No. Name Class Comments B-767 Maritime Nation 2002 B-734 Amy Constance 2002–2004 E-003 Chelsea Pensioner 2002–2015 E-class (Mk.I) E-006 Joan and Kenneth Bellamy 2002–2018 E-class (Mk.II) Legacy 2018–2021 E-class (Mk.II) E-08 Dougie and Donna B 2012–2026 E-class (Mk.II) Transferred to . E-09 Brawn Challenge 2012–2026 E-class (Mk.II) Transferred to . Station closed in 2026.
See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats
References
Sources
External links Chiswick RNLI Lifeboat Station