North Berwick History

1860  The RNLI established a lifeboat station and a boathouse was built to the east of the town.

1871 A slipway was built to improve launching.

1880 The lifeboat was not taken afloat as all the horses used for towing the carriage were engaged in agricultural work.

1900 The larger boathouse was built.

A member of the crew was washed out of the lifeboat while on service to the barge Valhalla on 27 February but was recovered.

1904 A new boathouse was built on the same site.

1925 The lifeboat station closed.

1967 The station reopened and an inshore lifeboat (ILB) station was established with a D class lifeboat. The ILB was kept in a garage close to the harbour. The lifeboat was funded from the BBC children’s television programme Blue Peter and was named Blue Peter III.

1973 Bronze Medals were awarded to Helmsman Benjamin Pearson and Crew Member Alexander Russell when the inshore lifeboat rescued a man whose boat had capsized on 26 July. The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum was awarded to Crew Member James Pearson. All three crew members received Blue Peter gold badges for outstanding achievement.

1991 The 1904 boathouse was bought by the RNLI and refurbished for the D class lifeboat.

1994 The BBC children’s programme Blue Peter provided the station’s fourth D class lifeboat from their ‘Pieces of Eight’ appeal.

1997 An extension was built providing improved crew facilities and to house the lifeboat and its tractor.

2001  A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station in celebration of 100 years of service.

Station honours

At North Berwick lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum 1
Bronze Medal 2