Kentish Express Ashford & District - What's On
Making a splash
A stunning new exhibition looking back on 200 years of the lifeboats in the county opens this weekend
From lifesaving journeys to selfless volunteers, the RNLI has an incredible history spanning two remarkable centuries. Now, a new exhibition looking back at 200 years of the charity is set to make waves at a maritime attraction.
RNLI 200: The Exhibition is due to be unveiled at the Historic Dockyard Chatham this week, with fascinating artefacts from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The display aims to show how the charity has changed over the years, from oar-powered boats and cork lifejackets to innovative technology and modern crew kits.
As part of the exhibition, a lifeboat named by, and after, Her Late
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be on show to the public for the first time.
The RNLB Her Majesty The Queen was named 30 years ago at Ramsgate’s Royal Harbour by Queen Elizabeth II, who was the first monarch to name a lifeboat.
Over the last three decades, the lifeboat has saved 33 lives, aided 175 people and spent more than 3,000 hours at sea.
The Duchess of Edinburgh, who grew up in Brenchley, handed the vessel over to the Chair of the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, and a team of RNLI volunteers at Windsor Castle in December before it made its final journey to the dockyard.
“It’s particularly exciting to be able to share this lifeboat with the public,” says exhibition curator Nick Ball. “When the young Queen Elizabeth II took on royal responsibilities in 1952, she became patron of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, following King
George VI and every reigning British monarch since King George IV.
“We know that visitors to the exhibition will be intrigued by the Mersey class all-weather vessel RNLB Her Majesty The Queen, and it’s entirely fitting that this special boat should be the first thing visitors see when they embark on their journey through this thrilling exhibition that tells the story of the RNLI’S 200 year history.
“It is also important to host the lifeboat here at the Historic Dockyard Chatham where Ian Smith and his team look after the RNLI Historic Lifeboat Collection.”
Ian, who is an RNLI volunteer and station manager at the Gravesend Lifeboat Station, has curated the dockyard’s collection of historic lifeboats.
It’s the largest collection in the UK and includes boats dating back to 1897.
The RNLI 200 exhibition also features a video projection of the HMS Racehorse’s final voyage, a limited-edition print of Tracey Emin’s 2014 lifeboat painting inspired by her childhood in Margate, personal stories from volunteers and a digital memorial book to commemorate more than 600 crew members who lost their lives at sea.
RNLI 200 opens at the Historic Dockyard Chatham on Saturday, March 23 and runs until Sunday, September 1. The exhibition is included in the price of an entry ticket, which can be booked online.