Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House Museum

Open for pre-booked visits and tours only. See website for details. This Volunteer Life Brigade maritime museum details the history of the first Volunteer Life Brigade to be formed in the United Kingdom and her colonies on December 5th 1864 after the loss of 32 souls within sight of the shore when the schooner "Friendship" and the steamer "Stanley" came to grief on the Black Midden rocks at the mouth of the river Tyne during a South Easterly gale on the afternoon and early evening of the 24th November 1864. The museum contains many unique artefacts salvaged or donated from vessels wrecked along our shore and historic photographs and paintings showing the role of the brigade since it was formed. The brigade is still fully active providing search and rescue services along the coast from the Tyne to Seaton Sluice and upriver to the Tyne bridges and further if required. The brigade are the eyes and ears for the coastguard and are a declared search and rescue facility to HM Coastguard.