St Agnes Lifeboat Station, Isles of Scilly

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St Agnes's Lifeboat Station, Isles of Scilly
St Agnes' Lifeboat station and slipway, Isles of Scilly.JPG
Former St Agnes' lifeboat station and slipway
Cornwall UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Isles of Scilly
General information
Type RNLI Lifeboat Station
LocationSt Agnes Lifeboat Station, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, UK
Country UK
Coordinates 49°53′37.09″N6°21′00.06″W / 49.8936361°N 6.3500167°W / 49.8936361; -6.3500167
Opened1890
Closed1920
Owner Royal National Lifeboat Institution

St Agnes' Lifeboat Station was situated in St Agnes, Isles of Scilly and provided a service for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution from 1890 to 1920. The lifeboat station and slipway still exist, and have been identified by the Isles of Scilly Council as a Building of Local Significance. [1]

Contents

History

The station opened in 1891 with a single slipway. A new slipway was provided in 1904 at a cost of £5,000 (equivalent to £680,000in 2023) [2] to the designs of the Institution's Architect, W.T. Douglass. From the back of the boat house to the toe of the slip it was 1,068 feet (326 m). It was built of Jarrah wood from Western Australia, bolted to granite and concrete pillars, with the exception of a short piece at the upper end, built on the rocks. Two rails ran the entire length of the slip, on which rested the double bogey trolley that carried the boat. Rails were also laid down the old slip which could be used at high tide. [3]

The station was closed in 1920.

Awards

List of achievements of the St Agnes Lifeboatmen List of achievements of the St Agnes Lifeboatmen, Isles of Scilly.jpg
List of achievements of the St Agnes Lifeboatmen

On 13 December 1907, the Thomas W Lawson of Boston, US, was in distress off Annet. The St Agnes Lifeboat put William Thomas Hicks on board to act as pilot. But the schooner foundered at Minmanueth and he was lost together with fifteen of the vessel's crew. His son, Frederick Charles Hicks, put off with seven other men in the gig 'Slippen' which rescued the schooner's captain and engineer form Hellweather rock.

Frederick Charles Hicks was awarded the RNLI Silver Medal for bravery, when swimming from a gig to save the captain of the Thomas W Lawson. The United States government gave him a gold watch, and gold medals to all the crewe of the gig 'Slippen'.

Lifeboats at St Agnes

At St AgnesONNameClassNotes
1890–1904275James and Caroline Self-righting 31 ft 1 in (9.47 m) lifeboat. Later saw service at Upgang and Criccieth. [4]
1904–1909516Charles Deere James Liverpool Built by the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company. 38 ft (12 m) long and 10 ft (3.0 m) broad with 10 oars, was fitted with two drop keels and two water ballast tanks. [5] [6]
1909–1920590Charles Deere James Watson Built by the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company. 38 ft (12 m) long and 9.33 ft (2.84 m) broad with 10 oars and fitted with a drop keel. [7] [8]

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    References

    1. ↑ "Isles of Scilly Conservation Area Character Statement Supplementary Planning Document" (PDF). Isles of Scilly Council. Isles of Scilly Council. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
    2. ↑ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
    3. ↑ "Launch of the St Agnes Lifeboat" . Cornishman. Truro. 25 August 1904. Retrieved 28 September 2015– via British Newspaper Archive.
    4. ↑ Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society. pp. 12–13.
    5. ↑ "New Lifeboat for Scilly" . Cornishman. Truro. 4 August 1904. Retrieved 28 September 2015– via British Newspaper Archive.
    6. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 22–23.
    7. ↑ "New Lifeboat for Scilly" . Cornishman. Truro. 29 July 1909. Retrieved 28 September 2015– via British Newspaper Archive.
    8. ↑ Leonard & Denton 2024, pp. 26–27.
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