We came across this wonderful treasure in Tynemouth; their Volunteer Brigade Watch House Museum by chance. Ironically, you wouldn’t know about them unless you were local or needed their help!
The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House Museum contains a unique collection of artifacts from 1864 to the present day. Children are encouraged to role play with these items and be emersed in the adventures at sea!
From equipment we recognise to some very strange and wonderful bits we didn’t! The friendly and knowledgeable Volunteers are on hand to answer any questions you may have.
Look at the view!!
The Watch House; based on a fine children’s mystery novel by William Corlett. Filmed at Tynemouth, Watch Tower in the 1980’s! Yes I am a big geek and watched it when I got back!
The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) is the oldest and one of only 3 remaining active Volunteer Life Brigades in the UK.
The TVLB was formed following the tragic loss of 32 souls from the stricken ships of the S.S Stanley and the schooner Friendship on 24th November 1864 at the Black Middens Rocks at Tynemouth.
Despite the efforts of a small group of Coastguards and the bravery of the crew of the lifeboat Constance, the tragedy occurred within yards of hundreds of spectators who were powerless to help.
One of those watching was John Morrison, an officer in the military volunteers based in Tynemouth Castle. He believed that, had there been a body of volunteers trained and disciplined to assist the Coastguards, the breeches buoy apparatus might well have saved all of the people from the ships.
He approached John Foster Spence and his brother Joseph Spence, who were local civic dignitaries, and they called a public meeting in North Shields Town Hall on 5th December 1864. There was a huge response at the meeting and the result was the founding of the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade as a team who would be trained, ready and willing to assist HM Coastguard to save life from shipwrecks. Over 100 men signed up on the spot.
Without these volunteers1 many people in the area including those who visit would not be with us!
To think how scary living near a Canal and River can be it must be terrifying to be in trouble at Sea and around the Coastline.
It costs £40,000 a year to keep going so relies heavily on donations and for £20 a year you could become an honorary member of the TVLB and keep this historic, lifesaving Watch Tower alive!
check out our reel of Tynemouth including the Watch Tower by clicking the link
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For more information and ways to support follow the link below
Home – Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (tvlb.org)
If you haven’t noticed on my Places to Go page we enjoy visiting lots of places many of which aren’t on people’s radar and many of them are free to enter; donations are appreciated.
So please keep coming back to see what we have been up to.
