Cromer lifeboat station celebrates 100th anniversary

The RNLI is hosting a week-long exhibition in collaboration with the seafront Henry Blogg Museum to mark the milestone, starting tomorrow (Wednesday, July 26).

The event will feature exhibits and photographs from 1923 to 2023, and volunteers will be on hand to explain more about the past century of lifesaving. 

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A lifeboat being recovered to Cromer lifeboat station sometime between 1946 and 1966. In those days it was fine to take holidaymakers and prospective donors out for a trip in good weather which is what is happening here. (Image: RNLI)

Cromer has had lifeboats since 1804, and they became part of the RNLI in 1857.
Until 1923, all the lifeboats were launched from the slipway by the Henry Blogg Museum.

The boathouse and slip there are still used to house an inshore lifeboat, the Mr Eric Sharpe.

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A 1939 photo captioned 'Cromer's Famous Lifeboat Crew, taken on the pier. (Image: RNLI)

Cromer Pier was built in 1901 and a motor lifeboat was brought to Cromer in 1923, so the new lifeboat house and slipway were built then at a cost of £32,000.

And the station’s Tamar class all-weather lifeboat will be launched at 6.30pm as part of the commemoration. 

The exhibition will run daily from 10am-4pm.

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A modern lifeboat being launched from the end of Cromer Pier (Image: Dave 'Hubba' Roberts)