Cullercoats Lifeboat Station

Lifeboat House, 1897; slightly later bell tower.

MATERIALS: red brick with sandstone ashlar dressings; timber cladding and barge boards to the upper parts and a pitched roof of slate.

PLAN: situated at the foot of the cliffs, the rectangular building is oriented north west to south-east with the south east gable facing the sea; tower attached to the left.

EXTERIOR: this two-storey gabled boathouse has wide replacement double doors, with timber cladding and some original square ventilation grilles above; four vertical rectangular ventilation grilles have been replaced with glazing to light the inserted first floor room. Decorative barge boards bear an inscription in large wooden script based on Psalm107:6:

'So.when.they.cry.unto.me.in.their.trouble.He.delivereth.them.out.of.their.distress.&.bringeth.them.unto.the.haven.where.they.would.be'.

The left return has a pair of rectangular windows and a central projecting tower with similar windows lighting the ground floor. The tower has a crow-stepped left side and a crenellated top surmounted by an open timber belfry with a cupola roof and decorative finial; the bell and its frame remain in situ. The rear elevation has a plain crow-stepped gable. The modern two-bay extension to the right is not of special interest and is not included in the listing. INTERIOR: wainscoting with exposed red brick walls above, incorporating a narrow band of red and white glazed brick; an inset stone foundation stone is set into the north west gable wall. The north east wall has a pair of original camber-headed windows fitted with small panes. The timber roof has three large trusses, one of which is now only visible from within the first floor loft room; the latter is supported by an inserted RSJ which spans the width of the building. The inserted room is accessed by an inserted stair placed alongside the south west wall.

The C21 extension to the North is not included in this listing.