Old Lifeboat House

This building, now home to a funeral company, was once the boathouse of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat serving Saint Anne’s in Lancashire.

On December 9, 1886, a huge storm caused the German registered barque, Mexico, to wreck. Initially, the Southport lifeboat Eliza Fernley was launched but on approaching the stricken ship, the vessel capsized in the turbulent waters. It washed up three miles from Southport, most of the crew members drowned.

About 20 minutes after the Southport boat was launched the Saint Anne’s boat, Laura Janet, was dragged from the boathouse to be launched into the storm. It too capsized as it approached the Mexico. In total, 27 of 29 of the two lifeboats’s crew members drowned. The details of the capsize of the Saint Anne’s boat are still unknown. Eventually, the Charles Biggs on its first-ever rescue attempt rescued all 12 members of the ship’s crew. 

After the storm, the Mexico was raised and went back into service, only to sink again in 1890, off the coast of Scotland.

A public fund was established to help the 16 widows and 50 orphans created by this disaster. Queen Victoria and the Emperor of Germany contributed. A sum of £30,000, nearly £4 million by today’s standards, was raised in total. This was the first time that the RNLI had raised funds by street collections, a practice that continues and remains popular among the British public.

This historic little boathouse at Saint Anne’s was kept in use until 1925, when responsibility was passed to the nearby Lytham boathouse. The old building was then repurposed and is currently used by the funeral service. 

A plaque pays homage to the disaster, and a memorial statue commemorating the events is located on the south promenade.