Little and Broad Haven Lifeboat Station
| Inshore Lifeboat | |
|---|---|
| Launch Method | Carriage |
| Address | The Boathouse, Little Haven, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA62 3UF |
| Telephone | 01437 781311 |
Explore two centuries of RNLI lifeboat history, heroic rescues, and the enduring tradition of saving lives at sea.
In the village of Little Haven on St Bride’s Bay, within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, this small station runs a single D-class inshore lifeboat, covering the twin resort beaches of Little Haven and Broad Haven and a coast of cliffs and fast tides. A lifeboat first served here from 1882; after closing in 1921 it reopened as an inshore station in 1967.
The RNLI established a lifeboat station at Little Haven in 1882, the first lifeboat kept afloat in a sheltered position under Goldtrop Head until a boathouse and slipway were built in 1903 for a Watson-class sailing lifeboat. When it was built it was the RNLI’s smallest lifeboat station.
In such small communities it proved hard to find enough crew, and with neighbouring stations able to cover the area, the station closed in 1921 and its boathouse was demolished.
As boating and watersports grew, the station reopened in 1967 with a D-class inshore lifeboat, taking the name Little and Broad Haven; the present boathouse dates from 1992. Its D-class answers the everyday emergencies of St Bride’s Bay — bathers and small craft caught by the tide, and people cut off beneath the cliffs of the two havens. The station is also known for long-serving volunteers: crew member Vivienne Grey, credited with helping to save eight lives over more than 120 call-outs, received the MBE in 2017.
