The Lifeboat House
Just a short walk from the Ship Inn you’ll find the old Lifeboat House perched on the rocks of the outer harbour. Today the building is used as an Art Gallery and can be hired for exhibitions, workshops and events.
In 1863 the Porthleven lifeboat was kept on a carriage in a galvanized shed up on Breageside (on what is now Claremont Terrace). From there it was pulled by up to six heavy horses and launched by tipping it into the water from whichever quay or beach was closest to a stricken vessel. One Sunday in January 1867 the lifeboat was called to Mullion. What a sight and sound the thunderous hurtle through the main street of Helston must have been to those on their weekly trip to church! Back then the boat would have been crewed by local fishermen and tradesmen, many of whom could not swim and the whole village would have turned out to haul the lifeboat back in and tend to the rescued.
Picture courtesy of Tony Treglown
The lifeboat house you see now was opened in 1894 and closed in 1929 when other, safer launches further afield had engine speed to cover this treacherous part of the coastline. During the station’s 66-year history, 28 emergency launches were made and 50 lives saved.
The first boat to launch from here was the Agar Robertes, a six-oared boat brought from London for free by the railway companies and in service from 1863-1882. Next came the ten-oared Charles Henry Wright in service until 1900, the John Francis White until 1926 and then the Dash. During the station’s 66-year history, 28 emergency launches were made and 50 lives saved.
The original wooden doors were smashed in by the first big storm and quickly replaced by iron gates which allowed water to run in and out. In the January storms of 2014 a single wave removed half the roof tiles, smashed the rafters and flooded the building. Watch the fury of the seas here on a bad day and the bravery of the men who launched their rowing boat into the most treacherous of conditions becomes astonishingly apparent.
Despite no longer hosting a Lifeboat Station, Porthleven still holds a Lifeboat Day each year to raise funds for the RNLI.