The inshore Lifeboat Station West Kirby was established in 1966, together with a similar station at Flint on the opposite side of the estuary to cope with the growing number of incidents in the area, The Hoylake Lifeboat station dates back to 1803 and celebrated its Bi-Centenary in 2003.
Hoylake Lifeboat station is one of the oldest on the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, and was founded by the Mersey docks and Harbour Board in 1803 and taken over by the RNLI in 1894. For a time there was also a Lifeboat Station on Hilbre Island in the Dee Estuary which was also manned by the men of Hoylake, this Station was closed in the 1930's.
Hoylake has always had a "carriage launched" lifeboat. At first the boat was pulled to the water by a team of horses, frames for storing the harnesses can still be seen on the wall in the current boathouse which was built in1899. today the lifeboat and carriage are towed by a caterpillar tracked Talus tractor which has been specifically designed to launch carriage lifeboats.
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