Saving Chapman - the Last Hilbre Island Lifeboat
In 1998 I discovered the last Hilbre Island lifeboat, Chapman, derelict and deserted in a Lancashire boatyard. A lover of both lifeboats and Hilbre Island, I determined to save the late Victorian boat.
My talk tells of how the lifeboat was saved and the volunteers who made this possible. Through the prism of Chapman's own history, I tell of the story of lifeboats from the late 1700s, the pioneering work of the Liverpool Dock Trustees and those on the River Tyne and how lifeboat design developed through triumph and disaster. I lead on to the establishment of a lifeboat station at Hoylake in 1803 and 45 years later on Hilbre Island.
There is much to interest audiences and hopefully something for everyone. Accounts of heroism alongside anecdotes and stories touching on the history of the Chapman lifeboat herself, now 123 years old, and listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels. I am able to narrate the story of Chapman both in Northern Ireland and on Hilbre as well as the other lifeboats which served on the island from 1848.
Chapman is now on permanent display at Lytham Lifeboat Museum. She has been featured on BBC's Saving Lives at Sea and I have written a book about her story. This is available directly from me - johnwilliamparr@aol.com - and is also available at the talks I give. 150 pages in length and with over 200 illustrations and press cuttings, the A4 book is priced at just £15.00 and is sold in support of the future conservation of this unique lifeboat.