The recent history of the boat…
2009
The Samuel Fletcher of Manchester ON393 Watson Class Pulling and Sailing Lifeboat was stored in the boat house at Stanley Park Boating Lake. A new outward bounds project meant that the boat had to be moved.
A small team under the leadership of Bruce Allen set about trying to save her. They created the Friends of Samuel Fletcher group to help raise funds and get the boat moved to a new home.
A new home was found at the Bispham Sea Cadets and the boat was moved to their car park. Hope was revived.
2012
Despite considerable efforts from Bruce Allen and the Friends of Samuel Fletcher to find a group to restore the boat, funding was not found and the boat was moved to Blackpool Lightworks compound with the support of Blackpool Council and placed under cover. Fortunately the Council had the foresight to protect and store this important historic vessel until a restoration project could get underway.
2016
It was hoped that with a new Heritage Lottery bid for a museum at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, the boat could be part of the project, restored and placed on permanent display. This fell through in 2016, when the project was reduced in scale and relocated to the Sands venue on the promenade. Despite being stored at the Lightworks depot with the support of the Council, the boat was again left without a potential for restoration.
2017
The team that manage the Lytham Lifeboat Museum in association with Lytham Heritage Group and the local RNLI Lifeboat Heritage Team, made enquiries about the boat, with a view to full restoration. The group already look after the restored 1900 Liverpool Class Pulling and Sailing Lifeboat, Chapman ON461 on display at the Old Lifeboat House in the Lytham Lifeboat Museum which they re-opened to the public in 2015 in partnership with Fylde Borough Coucil.
2018
Steve Williams and the Lytham Lifeboat Museum team take on the project to restore the Samuel Fletcher of Manchester Lifeboat with the support of previous custodians Bruce Allen and Blackpool Council.
It is intended to restore the boat to full working order after the initial surveys. The aim is sail and row the boat on the sea off Blackpool. In the worst case, if more detailed surveys indicate that a full working restoration is not viable, the boat will be restored as a static display, similar to the 1900 Liverpool Class Chapman.
It is also intended to obtain a carriage and or trailer so that the Samuel Fletcher can be used as mobile display and used for local shows and put on display during the Illuminations and Heritage Weekends. Ultimately, the team would like to set up a small Lifeboat Museum in Blackpool to celebrate the RNLI’s long and eventful history in the town.
It will take from 2-5 years for the full restoration, watch this space for further updates and posts. If you can help with funding or manpower to support the project we would be delighted to here from you.
The future vision for the Samuel Fletcher of Manchester ON393 36 ft Watson Class Pulling and Sailing Lifeboat… Similar to the historic lifeboat at Lytham…
Steve Williams 11 March 2018