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Eastbourne Museum

Housed in the 1898 RNLI William Terriss Memorial Boathouse, the museum tells the town’s story of nearly 200 years of lifesaving history, including medal-winning rescues and Dunkirk’s Operation Dynamo.

Inside the Eastbourne RNLI Lifeboat Museum in East Sussex
Inside the Eastbourne RNLI Lifeboat Museum in East Sussex

About the museum

Eastbourne Museum tells the story of nearly 200 years of lifeboating in the town. The museum is part of the old Eastbourne lifeboat house, built in 1898 in memory of William Terriss, an actor who was murdered on the steps of London's Adelphi Theatre the previous year.

Our exhibits cover daring, award-winning rescues, the lifeboat's involvement with the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk during the Second World War, and the development of search and rescue technology throughout Eastbourne's proud history.

The museum shares the William Terriss Memorial Boathouse with an RNLI shop – don’t forget to stop by and pick up a souvenir!

Visit us

Museum address

Eastbourne RNLI Museum
King Edward's Parade
Eastbourne
BN21 4BY

Telephone

01323 730717

Opening times

We are open from 10.00 to 16.00 everyday from now until Christmas 2022.

This is dependant upon volunteer availability and weather conditions.

Admission

Free