The Old Lifeboat House in Lytham St. Annes

The old Lifeboat House in Lytham St. Annes, marked by a blue plaque from the Lytham St. Annes Civic Society, which served as a lifeboat station from 1881 to 1925. It was the base for the “Laura Janet” lifeboat, which notably launched to assist the German barque “Mexico” in 1886. The “Mexico” disaster resulted in the loss of all 13 crew members from the St. Annes lifeboat and 14 from the Southport lifeboat, making it the RNLI’s worst loss of life in a single incident. The blue plaque commemorates the station’s history, highlighting the 45 lives saved from the house and the tragic loss of the crew during the “Mexico” incident.

The blue plaque reads: “St. Annes Lifeboat House from 1881 to 1925. 45 lives saved from here. 13 crew were lost in the Mexico Disaster in 1886, an event which resulted in street collections nationally for R.N.L.I.”. The building, located on Eastbank Road, is now used as an undertakers. The “Mexico” disaster, which occurred in the Ribble Estuary near Southport, involved all three lifeboats from Lytham, Southport, and St. Annes. While the Lytham crew managed to rescue the “Mexico’s” crew, the St. Annes and Southport boats capsized, leading to the tragic loss of life. The disaster prompted national fundraising efforts for the families of the lost lifeboatmen.