RNLI College

The RNLI was established in 1824. Lifeboat crews were drawn from local sailors, fishermen and coastguards who did not need to be trained in boat work, but they did need to learn to work together and sail in poor conditions. The regulations required that as the efficiency of a life-boat depends on the good training and discipline of her crew… the boat shall be taken afloat for exercise, fully manned, at least once a quarter, giving the preference to blowing weather. Lifeboat inspectors also visited each station regularly to check on the crew and their boat. The advent of motor lifeboats in the early years of the twentieth century followed by the development of electrical equipment such as…

The college and adjacent Lifeboat Support Centre were built by Dean and Dyball. The roof is curved to represent waves. Windows are round to mimic portholes. The college has classrooms, engine workshops and a bridge simulator. Its Sea Survival Centre has a wave pool and can simulate waves, thunder, lightning, rain and gale-force winds. Crews are also trained at sea, either in a fleet of lifeboats that are kept at Poole for that purpose or in their new lifeboats before they are placed on station. The college includes 60 bedrooms, a restaurant and bar which are also open to non-RNLI visitors.