No. 1 Station · North Landing · 1871–1993
The lifeboats of North Landing.
For more than a century, Flamborough’s lifeboat crews ran their boat down this slipway into the North Sea. This is the story of the North Landing lifeboat station: why it was built, the boats that served here, the families who crewed them and what the old boathouse is today.
- Founded
- 1871
- Slipway
- 1890
- Lifeboats
- 8
- Closed
- 1993
1871 · After the Great Gale
One headland, two lifeboats.
On 10 February 1871 a great storm swept the Yorkshire coast. Many sailing ships sheltering in Bridlington Bay were driven ashore and wrecked, and many lives were lost. It became known as the Great Gale, and it changed how this stretch of coast was protected.
That same year the RNLI opened not one but two lifeboat stations at Flamborough: No. 1 Station at North Landing and No. 2 Station at South Landing, on either side of the headland.
Why did Flamborough have two lifeboat stations?
So that one boat could always launch, whichever way the wind blew. Flamborough Head juts far out into the North Sea. In a northerly gale North Landing takes the full force of the sea, while South Landing lies in the lee of the cliffs — and in a southerly, the reverse. With a boat on each side, the crews were never shut in by the weather.
1890 · 1934
The slipway and the boathouse.
Getting a heavy wooden lifeboat from the cliff top to the water was half the battle. In 1890 a slipway was laid down to the sands, so the boat could run straight from its house into the cove. It’s the same slipway you walk down today.
In 1934 the station received its first motor lifeboat, and the boathouse was enlarged to take her. A turntable was added at the top of the slipway to help bring the boat back in after a service.
Eight lifeboats
From oars to engines.
Eight lifeboats served at North Landing in its 122 years. The early boats were pulled by oars and sailed when they could; from 1934 the station had motor lifeboats. Each carried a name, often chosen by the donor or legacy that paid for it.
| On station | Lifeboat | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1871–1887 | Gertrude | The first lifeboat at North Landing |
| 1887–1904 | Mary Frederick | |
| 1904–1905 | Lily Bird | A short stay on station |
| 1905–1934 | Forester | Nearly thirty years at North Landing |
| 1934–1948 | Elizabeth and Albina Whitley | The station’s first motor lifeboat |
| 1948–1953 | Howard D | |
| 1953–1983 | Friendly Forester | Thirty years on station |
| 1983–1993 | Will and Fanny Kirby | The last lifeboat to launch from North Landing |
at the top of the slipway.
The crews
Fishermen first, lifeboatmen always.
Lifeboat crews at North Landing were volunteers from the village, many of them fishermen who worked the same water from their cobles. The same family names appear on the station’s records again and again, fathers and sons, uncles and nephews, across generations.
The work was dangerous and often unseen. Their bravery was recognised by the RNLI more than once.
Gallantry awards at North Landing
- RNLI Silver Medal · 1895Coxswain Robert Pockley
- RNLI Silver Medal · 1937Coxswain George Leng
- RNLI Bronze Medal · 1937Motor Mechanic Edward A. Slaughter
- RNLI Bronze Medal · 1971Coxswain George Pockley
- Thanks on Vellum · 1930Coxswain Richard Chadwick
- Thanks on Vellum · 1952Robert Leng
February 1909
The sea took its toll on the fishing community too. In February 1909 three Flamborough fishermen were lost at sea in a coble disaster, a heavy loss for a small village.
The same families, the same slipway, the same sea — for well over a century.
The station board
Lifeboat Station, year by year.
No. 1 Station, North Landing. Established 1871. The milestones, as they might have been painted on the board.
- 1871GertrudeStation founded after the Great Gale
- 1887Mary FrederickSelf-righting pulling lifeboat
- 1890Slipway laid
- 1905ForesterTwenty-nine years on station
- 1934Elizabeth & Albina WhitleyFirst motor lifeboat
- 1938South Landing (No. 2 Station) closes
- 1953The Friendly ForesterStill on display in the village
- 1983Will & Fanny KirbyThe last boat to launch here
- 1993Station closed
- 2026The SaunasA new chapter at Flamborough's north sea landing
1938 · 1993
The last launches.
As motor lifeboats became faster and more capable, one boat could cover more of the coast. South Landing, No. 2 Station, closed in 1938, leaving North Landing as Flamborough’s lifeboat station.
North Landing carried on for another fifty-five years. In 1993, when all-weather lifeboat cover from Flamborough was withdrawn, the station closed. The Will and Fanny Kirby, on station since 1983, was the last lifeboat to launch from North Landing.
Is there still a lifeboat at Flamborough?
Yes. Today the RNLI’s inshore lifeboat operates from South Landing, on the far side of the headland — so a lifeboat still launches from Flamborough, just from the other landing.
The station today
Fire and salt on the old slipway.
The old lifeboat house at the top of the slipway is now the Boathouse café. At the foot of the slipway, on the sand, is ROE Wild Saunas: a wood-fired sauna a few steps from the water the crews launched into.
We think of it as a new chapter rather than a new story. The slipway still takes people down to the sea — for the heat, the cold and the view of the cliffs.
- Where
- North Landing
- The boathouse
- Café
- The sand
- Sauna
Flamborough, East Yorkshire YO15 1BJ
In the old lifeboat house
Wood-fired, at the foot of the slipway
Read about sauna sessions and prices, private hire and gift vouchers. Planning a visit? See visiting North Landing and things to do in Flamborough. New to sauna? Our first-timer’s guide and sauna and cold water guide will help.
Good to know
The station, answered.
When was the Flamborough lifeboat station founded?
In 1871. Two stations were opened that year, after the Great Gale of 10 February 1871: No. 1 Station at North Landing and No. 2 Station at South Landing, on opposite sides of Flamborough Head.
Why did Flamborough have two lifeboat stations?
So that a lifeboat could always launch, whichever way the wind blew. North Landing faces north and South Landing faces south; when one was too exposed to launch, the other was usually sheltered.
When did North Landing lifeboat station close?
In 1993, when all-weather lifeboat cover from Flamborough was withdrawn. The last lifeboat to launch from North Landing was the Will and Fanny Kirby, on station from 1983 to 1993.
Is there still a lifeboat at Flamborough?
Yes. The RNLI’s inshore lifeboat operates from South Landing, on the other side of Flamborough Head.
What is the old North Landing lifeboat house used for now?
The old lifeboat house at the top of the slipway is now the Boathouse café. ROE Wild Saunas’ wood-fired sauna sits on the sand at the foot of the old slipway.
What was the first motor lifeboat at North Landing?
The Elizabeth and Albina Whitley, which arrived in 1934. The boathouse was enlarged to take her, and a turntable was added at the top of the slipway.
Walk down the slipway. The fire’s lit.
A wood-fired sauna on the sand at North Landing, where Flamborough’s lifeboats once launched.
More from the landing
Keep exploring
Sessions & pricesShared sessions, sunrise and sunset sittings, and how a visit to the wood-fired sauna works.
Private hireThe whole sauna for your group — birthdays, friends, teams and quiet afternoons by the sea.
Gift vouchersGive someone the North Sea — sauna gift vouchers, sent instantly and valid for a year.- Visiting North LandingWhere we are, parking, the walk down to the slipway, what to bring and how to get here.
First-timer’s guideHow hot a sauna is, what to wear, how long to stay in and the unwritten rules.- Sauna & cold waterHot sauna, cold North Sea: how to do contrast bathing at North Landing, safely.