Marine engineers workshop - formerly the Lifeboat station

Image: © Richard Hoare Taken: 14 Jul 2011

Whilst this is now a marine engineers workshop it was formerly the Lossiemouth Lifeboat station. Built in 1899 at a cost of £660, it stands at the end of a slipway Image It closed in 1923. The following is an extract of detail kindly supplied by RNLI. ''The station was closed by the Committee of Management at their meeting in July 1923 after consideration of a Special Report by the Northern District Inspector (Commander E D Drury). Congestion in the harbour rendering the launching of the lifeboat impossible at times had, in 1920, lead to this station being closed each year from January to May, pending the erection of a boat shelter which it was hoped would improve matters, but in 1923 it was reported that no further work had been carried out on the shelter. The District Inspector stated that in winds from N to ESE it would be practically impossible for the boat to proceed to sea, but in W winds the Buckie boat would be able to deal with any casualty in the neighbourhood and that the congested state of the harbour had not improved. The Harbour Master and the Honorary Secretary were of the opinion that the station should be closed, whilst Chairman Bailie Cormack and the ex-coxswain opposed it, but the Chairman did not put forward any real reason beyond the actual position of the station as regards Buckie and Cromarty. Lossiemouth is 10 miles form Buckie and 23 from Cromarty - both then motor lifeboat stations. The last life-saving service was in 1895; previous to that no life-saving service had been rendered since 1883. When the station was actually closed by the then Deputy Chief Inspector for Stores (Captain G H Bevan) in September 1923, he reported that he handed the Service Boards to Honorary Secretary Mr C A Hay who had made arrangements for them to be placed in the Harbour Master's Office.''

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