Barry Dock Lifeboat Station
lifeboat station on the South coast of Wales
Barry Dock Lifeboat Station (Welsh: Gorsaf Bad Achub Dociau'r Barri) is located at the Pierhead Buildings, at Barry Dock Outer Harbour, near the town of Barry, in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.
A lifeboat station was first opened at Barry Dock in 1901, by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
The station currently operates a Shannon-class All-weather lifeboat, named 13-51 Richard and Caroline Colton II (ON 1358), on station since 2024, and a small D-class (IB1) Inshore lifeboat, Frances Mary Corscadden (D-820), on station since 2018. Both boats are moored at a floating pontoon, which can accommodate the tidal range encountered on the Bristol Channel.
History
Barry Dock lifeboat station opened in 1901, The first lifeboat to be placed at Barry Dock was the John Wesley (ON 456), a 43-foot Watson-class non-self-righting 'pulling and sailing' (P&S) lifeboat, one with oars and sails, which cost £1,710. A new boathouse and slipway were constructed at a cost of £2,300.
In 1922, the station received its first motor lifeboat, Prince David (ON 677), a single engine 40-foot Watson-class non-self-righting lifeboat, which would still retain sails in case of engine failure. The boathouse was modified to accommodate the new boat prior to its arrival in 1920, at a cost of £1,400.
Barry Dock lifeboat Prince David, under the command of Acting Coxswain Archibald Claude Jones, Barry Dock Honorary Secretary, in the absence of the regular coxswain, was launched to the aid of the French schooner Goeland on 17 September 1935. The vessel was on passage from Roscoff to Swansea when she lost her sails in a strong gale, and was drifting off Rhoose Point.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Barry Dock Lifeboat Station” as lifeboat station on the South coast of Wales. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as lifeboat station on the South coast of Wales. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4864174. Authority coordinates are 51.393, -3.262. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1901, 1358, 2024 and 2018.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Barry Dock Lifeboat Station”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Barry Dock Lifeboat Station primary sources, Barry Dock Lifeboat Station archive and Barry research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Barry Dock Lifeboat Station”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Barry Dock Lifeboat Station” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.