Barmouth Lifeboat Station

Barmouth Lifeboat Station is located in Barmouth, a town at the mouth of the Afon Mawddach river in Gwynedd, Wales. A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (RNIPLS) in 1828.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution currently operate a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat and a D-class inshore lifeboat.

History
Following a request by the Rev. Frederick Ricketts, a lifeboat was provided to the town in 1828. Local funding provided the first boathouse, reported to be a stone building measuring 30' x 9', with a doorway 6' 6" x 6', and costing £95. This building is now the Harbour Master's office.

The first lifeboat was a six-oar 26 ft Palmer type, which served until the early 1850s. This was replaced in 1852 by an 8-oar boat, which was lengthened in 1859 and converted to 12 oars.

The third lifeboat at Barmouth was the Ellen, a double banked 10-oar vessel. In 1885, the Jones-Gibb (ON 64), with 12 oars double-banked, was placed at Barmouth, remaining in service until 1905. She was followed by a second Jones-Gibb (ON 538) in service until 1939.

A new boathouse was constructed in 1859, located 1/4-mile south east of the town. A slipway was built, so the lifeboat could be launched directly into the river. However, in 1864, the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway began work on the Pwllheli to Aberystwyth Railway line, which required the construction of a bridge across the Afon Mawddach. As a result, the line was bridged right over the top of the slipway, creating a unique situation where the boathouse was located to the north of the railway line, and the lifeboats launching underneath the railway line to the river on the south side.

On 20 March 1982, Barmouth received a new All-weather lifeboat. A Rother-class lifeboat, built by Wm. Osborne of Littlehampton, costing £240,000, and the first lifeboat to be fitted with Radar. A naming ceremony was planned for later in the year, to coincide with a Royal Visit to Barmouth, and on a cold wet 25 November 1982, Diana, Princess of Wales, named the boat Princess of Wales (ON 1063).

A new lifeboat station was constructed on the promenade, to the west of the town in 2004. Costing £1.23 million, it provided up to date facilities for the crew, and able to house both the All-weather lifeboat, and the D-class Inshore lifeboat. A new Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat arrived in March 2019, and was named 13-30 Ella Larsen (ON 1337) later in that year.



Barmouth is an RNLI "Explore" category station whereby, subject to operational requirements and availability of staff, visitors can look around the station. An RNLI Visitors' Centre and gift shop is also housed within the building.

During the lifetime of the station thirteen awards for bravery have been presented.

Station Honours
The following are awards made at Barmouth


 * RNLI Silver Medal
 * For rescuing seven men from the vessel Neptune on 2 February 1825
 * Edmond Lewis - 1825


 * For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971
 * John Henry Stockford - 1971
 * Colin Pugh - 1971
 * Dr Robert Airdrie Haworth - 1971


 * The Ralph Glister Award 1971
 * (for the most meritorious service of the year performed by the crew of an inshore lifeboat)
 * For rescuing a woman who had fallen over a cliff on 21 June 1971
 * John Henry Stockford - 1971
 * Colin Pugh - 1971
 * Dr Robert Haworth - 1971


 * RNLI Bronze Medal
 * For rescuing two men from the fishing vessel Boy Nick on 22 November 1978.
 * Evan Jones, Coxswain - 1979


 * Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum
 * For the rescue of two men from the vessel Isabel on 18 September 1858
 * Rev. O. Lloyd, Honorary Secretary - 1858


 * For saving the boat and crew of the American ship Troy on 19 November 1859
 * Rev. O. Lloyd, Honorary Secretary - 1858


 * For rescuing four swimmers off Barmouth on 16 July 1957
 * George Berridge - 1957
 * William Morris, Motor Mechanic - 1957


 * For the rescue of three from the trawler Gardelwen on 31 October 1982
 * Edward Leonard Vaughan, Acting Coxswain - 1982


 * Vellum Service Certificate
 * For the rescue of three from the trawler Gardelwen on 31 October 1982
 * Kenneth Ingram, Mechanic - 1982
 * Harry Allday, Acting Second Coxswain - 1982
 * Robert Buckley, crew member - 1982
 * John Stockford, crew member - 1982
 * Llewelyn Griffin, crew member - 1982


 * Maud Smith Award 1957
 * (for the bravest act of lifesaving during the year by a member of a lifeboat crew).
 * For rescuing four swimmers off Barmouth on 16 July 1957
 * William Morris, Motor Mechanic - 1958


 * Testimonial on Parchment, awarded by the Royal Humane Society
 * For entering the sea to rescue a man who had jumped from Barmouth Viaduct on 19 October 1980
 * John Henry Stockford - 1980


 * British Empire Medal
 * George Kenneth Jeffs, Coxswain Assistant Mechanic - 1989