Barrow Lifeboat Station is located on Roa Island, near the town of Barrow in Furness, formerly part of Lancashire, but now in Cumbria.

A lifeboat was first stationed at Barrow-in-Furness by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1864.

The station currently operates a slipway launched All-weather lifeboat, 16-08 Grace Dixon (ON 1288), on station since 2008, and a Inshore lifeboat, Raymond and Dorothy Billingham (D-866), on station since 2022.

History In 1864, Barrow industrialist James Ramsden, and Capt. L. Barstow, RN, Inspecting Commander of Coastguard, wrote to the RNLI requesting that a lifeboat be stationed at Barrow. At a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on 7 April 1864, with the additional offer of local funding, a new station was agreed.

A station was built on Roa Island, the island having been joined to the mainland with the construction of a causeway in 1846. It is located south of Barrow, overlooking Piel Channel, the entrance to the Port of Barrow, with easy access to the Irish Sea. The station was named as Piel (Barrow) Lifeboat Station.

The first boat supplied to the station had previously served at , and was a self-righting pulling & sailing type lifeboat. For Barrow, it was modified to be a 12-oared boat, and extended to 36-feet, at a cost of over £200. The boat was funded by a group of commercial travellers, as directed by W. Bishop, of Boston, Lincolnshire and R. Affleck of Manchester, the latter better known as one of the founders of Manchester department store Affleck and Brown. The boat arrived on Roa Island on 7 December 1864, having been transported free of charge by the London and North Western, Lancashire and Yorkshire, and Whitehaven and Furness Railway Companies.

Funds were raised locally for a new brick built boathouse, costing £239-14s-3d, which was designed by RNLI Consulting Architect Mr. C. H. Cooke, and built by William Gradwell. The boathouse was opened in a ceremony on 28 July 1865, and the boat was named Commercial Traveller No.1. James Ramsden, Company Secretary — and soon to be Managing Director — of the Furness Railway Company, was appointed Honorary Secretary.

In 1878, the name of the boat was changed to William Birkett, in acknowledgment of the legacy of Mr William Birkett of Newton in Cartmel. A replacement lifeboat boat later assigned to Piel (Barrow) Lifeboat station in 1887, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, was also named William Birkett (ON 122).

A new launchway was built in 1884, funded by the Furness Railway Company, followed in 1885 with a new wooden boathouse. This proved a great success, with reports of the lifeboat being able to be launched in six minutes. However, then ensued a period of location and relocation.

In 1889, after the arrival of the slightly larger William Birkett (ON 122), the RNLI Inspector recommended that the lifeboat be relocated to moorings at the harbour yard in Barrow. This station was named Barrow Lifeboat Station. However, it was soon noted that the boat's hull was being fouled by worms, and also that the crew often ended up getting soaked, even before their struggle to board the moored lifeboat. In 1892, the boat was brought ashore, and housed in the same wooden boathouse, which was relocated from Roa Island. A slipway was initially constructed, and then extended back to the boathouse in 1894.

Circumstances were still not satisfactory, and much discussion was held regarding the return to Roa Island, with improved crew availability, and its location being better suited, as considered back in 1864. The RNLI then placed a second lifeboat at Peel (Barrow) Lifeboat Station on Roa Island in 1898, the Thomas Fielden (ON 300), again moored afloat. But problems persisted with boarding the moored boat, which proved impossible in bad conditions. The Thomas Fielden was then housed at the Old Watch House.

The William Birkett (ON 122) was retired in 1899, and Barrow Lifeboat Station closed. The wooden boathouse was removed from Barrow, and relocated back at Roa Island in 1900.

Problems still persisted. A new larger boat was provided in 1901, this being a second boat named Thomas Fielden (ON 462), but the size and weight made launching difficult. A trolley system was devised for launching the boat down the slipway. A high tide surge brought water 5-feet into the boathouse, so the wooden boathouse was moved yet again, this time higher and further from the water, with the slipway extended.

1927 onwards Thomas Fielden (ON 462) served until 1927, when she was replaced by a motor-powered lifeboat, a 45-foot 6in Watson-class lifeboat, the N. T. with two 40-hp 'Weyburn CE4' petrol engines, and a single propeller, giving a speed of . She was built by J. Samuel White of Cowes, and cost £10,826.

The wooden boathouse was no longer big enough, so a new boathouse was built on a specially built pier, located at the end of Piel street. The roller-slipway was the longest at any RNLI station. At a cost of £14,000, the new boathouse and slipway were opened in September 1929.

The name of Piel (Barrow) Lifeboat Station was formally changed to Barrow Lifeboat Station in 1935.

In 1964, in response to an increasing amount of water-based leisure activity, the RNLI placed 25 small fast Inshore lifeboats around the country. These were easily launched with just a few people, ideal to respond quickly to local emergencies. Barrow received one of the first ones on 11 April 1964. the unnamed (D-15). She was first used on service just nine days later.

In the 1990s, the RNLI were looking for a replacement for the lifeboat, such as 47-014 James Bibby (ON 1117), which had been assigned to Barrow in 1986. Another new boathouse would be required for these new fast-slipway lifeboats. Demolition of the 1929 boathouse started in January 1999, with the new pier, boathouse and slipway being completed at a cost of £3million, and formally handed over to the RNLI in July 2001. James Bibby was withdrawn from service at Barrow in 2008, handing over to the lifeboat 16-08 Grace Dixon (ON 1288).

Station honours The following are awards made at Barrow-in-Furness:

Knight Bachelor James Ramsden – 1872 Silver Lifesaving Medal, awarded by The Finnish Government Eb Charnley, Coxswain – 1937 RNLI Bronze Medal James Orr Moore, Motor Mechanic – 1943 Frank Moore, Assistant Mechanic – 1943 Roland Moore, Coxswain – 1958 Bronze Lifesaving Medal, awarded by The Finnish Government Barrow Lifeboat Crew – 1937 'The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum' Roland Moore, Coxswain – 1952 Robert Charnley, Coxswain – 1974 Vellum Service Certificates Ernie Diamond, Second Coxswain – 1974 Frank Moore, Motor Mechanic – 1974 Albert Benson, Assistant Mechanic – 1974 Peter Charnley, crew member – 1974 Thomas Keenan, crew member – 1974 Paul Cochrane, crew member – 1974 Anthony Barber, crew member – 1974 'A Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman of the Institution' Alexander Moore, Coxswain – 2003 Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE) Terence Downing – 1988NYH Alexander Moore, Coxswain – 2006NYH Group Captain John William Green – 2010QBH British Empire Medal Roland Moore – 1970NYH Frank Moore, Motor Mechanic – 1979NYH

Barrow lifeboats Pulling and Sailing (P&S) lifeboats ON Name Built Class Comments 1855 1864−187836-foot self-righting (P&S) 36-foot x 8-foot 3in (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, funded by the Commercial Travellers LB fund, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £156 when new. Lengthened from 30-foot x 7-foot 6in in 1863.Previously at . Renamed William Birkett in 1878. William Birkett 1878–1887 Legacy of Mr W. Birkett of Newton-in-Cartmel.Sold in 1887. 122 William Birkett 1887 1887−1899 38-foot self-righting (P&S) x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, funded by the legacy of Mr W. Birkett of Newton-in-Cartmel, built by Forrest of Limehouse, London, costing £606.Sold in 1899. 300 Thomas Fielden 1891 1898−1901 x (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, funded from the gift of S. John and Joshua Fielden of Todmorden, built by R. McAlister of Dumbarton, costing £448 when new.Previously at . Transferred to the Relief fleet. Broken up in 1904. 462 Thomas Fielden 1901 1901−1927 40-foot Watson (P&S) Transferred to . Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

Motor lifeboats ON Op.No. Name Built Class Comments 701 − N. T. 1927 1927−1951 45-foot 6in Watson Transferred to . 900 − Herbert Leigh 1951 1951−1982 46-foot 9in Watson 932 − 1957 1982−1986 Previously at . Transferred to . 1117 James Bibby 1986 1986−2008 Transferred to the Relief fleet. Later at . 1288 16-08 Grace Dixon 2007 2008− More post-service details can be found on the respective lifeboat class pages.

Inshore lifeboats D class Op.No. Name Class Comments D-15 1964 D-28 1964 D-43 1965−1972 D-198 1972−1986 D-318 Modeller 1 1986−1993 D-443 Modeller II 1993−2001 D-567 Spirit of Tamworth 2001−2010 D-733 Vision of Tamworth 2010−2022 2022−

Notes

See also List of RNLI stations List of former RNLI stations Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

References

External links Barrow RNLI Lifeboat Station