REDCAR is situated on the north east coast of England, a few mile south of the River Tees. Click here for map. Click here for Google street view.

Originally a small fishing village, Redcar gains it's name from the viking description of the rocks - the "scars" - which become visible at low tide. Indeed it is these scars which created the need for a lifeboat in this part of the coast.

The current lifeboat station can be found a few hundred yards along the esplanade from the Zetland lifeboat museum, where you can see the oldest surviving lifeboat in the world.

The present station was built in the early 1970's and at the time was a showpiece, with the nickname "The Cathedral" because of it's high vaulted glass roof.

Over the years there have been several refurbishments to add more comfortable accommodation for the crew, and a few years ago new doors were fitted. This in itself is not so unusual, but the money used for these doors was left to the lifeboat station by the late Larry Grayson, the entertainer famous for his catchphrase "Shut that door!"

Click here for a "Virtual Tour" of the lifeboat station.