Alfred Corry Lifeboat Museum

About the museum

The Alfred Corry was built in 1893 by Beeching Brothers of Great Yarmouth, paid for by a legacy from Alfred James Corry. She served as Southwold's No. 1 lifeboat for 25 years until 1918, launching 41 times and saving 47 lives. Her crew rowed and sailed her, and the boat was dragged across the shingle to be launched.

After she was withdrawn from service she was sold in 1919 and converted into a yacht, later renamed and used as a houseboat. In 1976 a family bought the derelict hull and restored it, and the boat returned to Southwold in 1980. The Alfred Corry Charitable Trust was set up in 1994 to restore and preserve her. The yacht fittings were removed and the hull was brought back to its original lifeboat form, a project that ran for about fifteen years. The trust became a charitable incorporated organisation in 2017.

The museum building is the old Cromer lifeboat shed, built in the early 1920s. It was moved by sea from Cromer to Southwold harbour in 1998 and repaired and re-roofed by volunteers. A later front extension added display space. Alongside the lifeboat, the museum shows photographs and artefacts from the boat and her crew, local fishing and maritime history, a First World War exhibition, a period front room of about 1879 and a fisherman's kitchen from the late 1800s.

Highlights

• The restored 1893 sailing lifeboat Alfred Corry
• The old Cromer lifeboat shed that houses the museum
• Photographs and artefacts from the boat's crew and rescues
• 1914-1918 War Exhibition
• Fisherman's kitchen and period front room

Permanent exhibitions

• The lifeboat Alfred Corry – The restored 1893 Southwold No. 1 lifeboat, with photographs and artefacts about her crew and rescues.
• 1914-1918 War Exhibition – Display about the First World War and its links with Southwold and the lifeboat.
• Fisherman's Kitchen – A recreated kitchen showing life on Southwold beach in the late 1800s.

Founded

1998

Operated by

Alfred Corry Trust (charitable incorporated organisation)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free; the museum depends on donations.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Accessibility information is not published; contact the museum for details.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Located at Southwold harbour, in the old Cromer lifeboat shed.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.