Heroine’s boat on its way home

Dec 8 2007 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

HEROINE Grace Darling’s coble is coming home.

The boat used by Grace to help rescue crew and passengers from the stricken steamship SS Forfarshire will return to Bamburgh in Northumberland on Tuesday, when it will take pride of place in the new RNLI Grace Darling Museum in the village.

The 21ft fishing coble will be lifted over the new building by crane before being taken into the museum and installed in its new display area.

It has been in storage at the Regional Museums Store at Beamish Museum, County Durham, for almost two years and will be transported the 65 miles by road to Bamburgh on a low loader.

During a major redevelopment project, all but the front facade of the original RNLI Grace Darling Museum was demolished to make way for a new two-storey museum, which will open to the public on December 18.

The museum’s manager Tony Walton said: “The museum is almost ready for opening and the return of the coble is the last piece of the jigsaw. We will be delighted to see it installed in its fantastic new home.”

Grace Darling became a national heroine after she and her father rowed the coble through stormy seas from the Longstone Lighthouse to rescue survivors on the stricken Forfarshire in 1838. A century after the rescue, the original museum opened in her honour with the coble as its centrepiece.

Christine Stevens, head of collections at Beamish, said: “Grace Darling’s coble has not been on general display at Beamish but has attracted much interest and attention when visitors have toured the Regional Museums Store.”

An official opening ceremony will be held at the museum on March 4.

Tony Henderson