Palling Lifeboat Station

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Palling Lifeboat Station
Sea defences and beach at Sea Palling - geograph.org.uk - 5880654.jpg
Palling Sea Defences
Norfolk UK relief location map.jpg
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Palling, Norfolk
General information
StatusClosed
TypeLifeboat Station
Location Sea Palling, Norfolk, England
Coordinates 52°47′20.5″N1°36′11.0″E / 52.789028°N 1.603056°E / 52.789028; 1.603056
Opened
  • NASLSM 1852–1858
  • RNLI 1858–1930
  • Ind. 1972–present

Palling Lifeboat Station was located at the town of Palling, on the north-east coast of Norfolk.

Contents

A lifeboat was first stationed here by the Norfolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Mariners (NASLSM), more commonly known as the Norfolk Shipwreck Association or (NSA), in 1852. Management of the station was transferred to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in 1858. [1]

After 78 years of operations, Palling RNLI Lifeboat Station closed in 1930. [2]

In 1972, a rescue service was re-established at Sea Palling by local people, through monies raised from private, business and charitable donations. Today the renamed charitable Sea Palling Independent Lifeboat is on operation, covering the area between Eccles-on-Sea and Winterton-on-Sea. [3]

For further information on the current service, please see:

History

A lifeboat was sent to be stationed at Palling in 1852 by the Norfolk Association for Saving the Lives of Shipwrecked Mariners. She was a 32-foot Palmer type non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Branford, of Gt. Yarmouth, costing £75. [4]

Following a meeting of the NSA on 21 Nov 1857, it was agreed to request that the RNLI take over responsibility for all their lifeboat stations, including Palling. This was formally agreed at a meeting of the RNLI committee of management on 3 December 1857. [5]

A new lifeboat was ordered for Palling from Forrestt of Limehouse, London, a 30-foot 10-oared Peake-class self-righting lifeboat, and along with her specially constructed carriage, cost just over £250. Edward Amis was appointed Coxswain. She was housed in the boathouse built by the NASLSM, and would serve Palling for 6 years, being launched on service 6 times, and saving 20 lives. [4]

The next lifeboat to be stationed at Palling was the Parsee. Originally a 30-foot lifeboat stationed at Hastings named Victoria, she was sent to Forrestt in London for conversion to be a 36-foot, 12-oared boat. She was transported to Gt. Yarmouth in February 1864 free of charge by the Great Eastern Railway Company, and then sailed up to Palling by the crew. In her 18 years on service at Palling, she rescued 103 lives in 23 launches. [4]

On her first call on 23 December 1864, the Parsee went to the aid of the schooner Idas of Nantes, on passage from Danzig to Dunkirk, driven ashore at Palling. Six men were rescued. [6]

Parsee was replaced by a new boat in 1882, the Heyland (ON 38), built by Woolfe of Shadwell. The boat was provided from funds raised in the memory of Lt. Heyland, RN, lost rescuing a seaman from H.M.S. Minotaur. But weighing 4 tons, she proved too heavy for the sandy conditions at Palling, and was soon replaced by Good Hope (ON 13) in 1884; again a 37-foot boat built by Woolfe, but weighing only 3 tons. [4]

The No.2 station was closed in 1929. Motor-powered lifeboats had been placed on service at Cromer, 20 miles to the north, and Gorleston, 20 miles to the south, and it soon followed that the decision was made to close the No.1 station. This happened on 29 October 1930, with the removal of the lifeboat Jacob and Rachel Valentine (ON 580). [2]

The parish of "Palling" was renamed "Sea Palling" on 2 October 1948. [7]

Notable rescues

At 04:30 on the 7 Mar 1907, Palling No.1 lifeboat 54th West Norfolk Regiment (ON 471) launched to the aid of the vessel Vixen. In pitch-black gale force conditions, the lifeboat managed to rescue five crew, but one man was left clinging to the rigging, cold, and unable to climb down by himself. The Master re-boarded the Vixen along with lifeboat crewman James Pestell. Pestell then climbed the rigging, and with the assistance of the Master, brought the man to the waiting lifeboat. With two of the party now on board, the lifeboat was hit by a large wave, and washed away from the wreck, leaving Pestell alone on the stricken vessel. Finally, the lifeboat returned, and Pestell was taken on board. For this service, James Pestell Jr. was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal. [8]

Station honours

The following are awards made at Palling. [9]

Edward Amis, Coxswain – 1870
Walter Pestell, Coxswain – 1893
Thomas Bishop, Acting Coxswain – 1894
Walter Pestell, Coxswain – 1899 (Second-Service clasp)
James Pestell, Jr., crew member – 1907

Roll of honour

In memory of those lost whilst serving Palling lifeboat. [4] [10]

Robert Amis, Second Coxswain (68)

Palling lifeboats

NASLSM

NameBuiltOn station [11] ClassComments [11]
Unnamed18521852−1858 32-foot Palmer [Note 1]

RNLI

No.1 Station

ON [a] NameBuiltOn station [12] ClassComments [13]
Pre-322Unnamed18581858−1864 30-foot Peake Self-Righting (P&S) [Note 2]
Pre-314Parsee18571864−188236-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 3]
Previously Victoria at Hastings.
38Heyland18821882−188437-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 4]
13Good Hope18841884−190037-foot Self-righting (P&S) [Note 5]
47154th West Norfolk Regiment19011901−192637-foot 6in Self-righting (P&S) [Note 6]
580Jacob and Rachel Vallentine19071926−193034-foot Dungeness Self-righting (P&S) [Note 7]
Previously at Happisburgh.
Station Closed, 1930
Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

No.2 Station

ON [a] NameBuiltOn station [14] ClassComments
14British Workman18701870−1893 40-foot 4in Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 8]
351Hearts of Oak18931893−1917 40-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 9]
656Hearts of Oak19181918−1929 40-foot Norfolk and Suffolk (P&S) [Note 10]
Station Closed, 1929
  1. 1 2 ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 32-foot x 9-foot 7in (10-oared) Palmer-class non-self-righting lifeboat, built by Branford of Great Yarmouth, costing £75.
  2. ↑ 30-foot x 7-foot 6in (10-oared) Peake-class self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, from RNLI funds, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £179.
  3. ↑ 36-foot x 8-foot (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Cama Brothers, London & Bombay, built by Forrestt of Limehouse, London, costing £161 when new. Previously 30-foot x 7-foot 6in (10-oared), lengthened 1864
  4. ↑ 37-foot x 9-foot (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of the Heyland Memorial Fund, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £430.
  5. ↑ 37-foot x 8-foot 9in (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of Rev. W, J, Guerrier of Oxford, built by Woolfe of Shadwell, London, costing £392.
  6. ↑ 37-foot 6in x 9-foot 3in (12-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of late Maj. Lancelot Wood, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £893.
  7. ↑ 34-foot x 8-foot (10-oared) self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, legacy of Mr S. Vallentine of Brixton, built by Thames Ironworks of Blackwall, London, costing £893.
  8. ↑ 40-foot 4in x 11-foot 6in (14-oared) Norfolk and Suffolk-class non-self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, from RNLI funds, built by James Beeching of Great Yarmouth, costing £273
  9. ↑ 40-foot x 12-foot (14-oared) Norfolk and Suffolk-class non-self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of the Hearts of Oak Benefit Society, built by Wm. T. Ellis of Lowestoft, costing £416.
  10. ↑ 40-foot x 12-foot (12-oared) Norfolk and Suffolk-class non-self-righting (P&S) lifeboat, gift of the Hearts of Oak Benefit Society, built by Summers & Payne of Southampton, completed by S. E. Saunders of East Cowes.

References

  1. ↑ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2025). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2025. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. p. 117.
  2. 1 2 Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 117.
  3. ↑ "Sea Palling independent lifeboat crew back on duty". BBC News. 9 June 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Morris, Jeff (September 2007). Palling Lifeboat 1852-1930. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 1–58.
  5. ↑ "Meetings of the Committee". The Lifeboat. IV (29): 84. 1 July 1858. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  6. ↑ "Mercantile Ship News". The Standard. No. 12614. London. 12 January 1865. p. 7.
  7. ↑ "North Walsham Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Cox 1998, p. 221.
  9. ↑ Cox, Barry (1998). Lifeboat Gallantry. Spink & Son Ltd. ISBN   0907605893.
  10. ↑ "Saint Margaret of Antioch Churchyard". Internment.net. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  11. 1 2 Farr & Morris 1992, p. 16.
  12. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 6–39.
  13. ↑ Farr, Grahame; Morris, Jeff (1992). List of British Lifeboats Part 1 & 2 (Second ed.). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 1–88.
  14. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2025, pp. 18–43.
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