Lifeboat takes to the road for repairs

10 hours ago

Catherine LeeNorth East and Cumbria

News image — The project was described as a "really nice collaboration" between two museums

BBC A lifeboat - with a blue and white hull and orange deck structure - on a low loader lorry. It is travelling on a narrow road with trees to the side. — The project was described as a "really nice collaboration" between two museums

A lifeboat that spent decades saving lives at sea has been navigating roads for conservation work.

The Herbert Leigh served Barrow station in Cumbria between 1951 and 1982, launching 136 times and saving 71 lives, and is now on display in front of the town's Dock Museum.

However, exposure to the elements led to water damage and rusting and the 22-tonne vessel has made the 27-mile (52km) journey to the Jetty Museum in Windermere for renovations which will ensure its long-term future.

A trial run took place to check the larger-than-normal load could get through the street furniture between the two locations.

The boat was donated to the RNLI by Herbert Leigh, a Lancastrian who founded a successful marine paint business.

After 30 years of service it was placed in storage, then moved to the Dock Museum following a donation by Brian Leigh-Bramwell, Herbert Leigh's great-nephew.

A lifeboat with a blue and white hull being lifted by a crane. A man in green overalls stands underneath it touching the bottom of the hull. To the right, a low-loader waits to receive it, with a workman in a high-vis jacket and helmet standing nearby. — The vessel had to be lifted on to a trailer for the journey

Charlotte Hawley, collections and exhibitions manager at Dock Museum, said it was "great to see it having a bit of a spruce and caring for it long term".

"At the minute previously, every time it rained the water would pool at the bottom and you can see some of the rusting.

"We're going to do some work on that which actually will prevent that, so we'll make it more watertight but also just give little areas for the water to escape."

It was "fabulous" to work with the Windermere Jetty Museum, she added.

"They have amazing skills there, looking after these historic ships in a really conservation-friendly way.

"So not only will it have a new paint job, but we're also going to improve it so it's protected more from the elements."

Stephen Beresford, from the Windermere Jetty Museum, said: "It's a large boat... we've got a specialist trailer.

"It's wider-than-normal load on the road so it's got to be escorted, and we've done a trial run to kind of see that we can get through the street furniture between here and Windermere."

He added: "We're delighted to do the work, it's just a really nice collaboration between two museums."

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