The William Terriss Memorial Boat House
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | King Edward's Parade |
| Town: | Eastbourne |
| Parish: | Eastbourne |
| Council: | Eastbourne Borough Council |
| County: | East Sussex |
| Postcode: | BN21 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Road or Wayside |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | Junction with Middle Parade, NE of the Wish Tower |
| In the AZ book: | East Sussex |
| Page: | 161 |
| Grid reference: | L8 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
back to top | |
Makers
back to top |
General Information
| Commissioned by: | Public Subscription through the Daily Telegraph fund |
| Installation date: | 1898 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Eastbourne Borough Council |
| Inscription: | THIS LIFEBOAT HOUSE HAS BEEN ERECTED IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM TERRISS, WITH SUBSCRIPTIONS RECEIVED BY THE DAILY TELEGRAPH FROM THOSE WHO LOVED AND ADMIRED HIM, AND WHO SORROWED TOGETHER WITH ALL HIS FRIENDS AND FELLOW - COUNTRYMEN AT HIS MOST CRUEL AND UNTIMELY END: 1898. ''SHADOWS WE ARE AND SHADOWS WE PURSUE'' Carved into stone blocks on western wall: ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and to its right: SUPPORTED BY VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS |
back to top | |
Classification
| Categories: | Commemorative, Architectural, Functional |
| Object type1: | Building |
| Object subtype1: | Other |
| Subject type1: | Non-figurative |
back to top | |
Object Parts
| Part 1: | Building |
| Material: | Brick with stone decorations |
| Height (cm): | 500 |
| Width (cm): | 620 |
| Depth (cm): | 1500 |
back to top | |
Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 07/07/2007 |
back to top | |
History
| History: | The money for the building of this memorial lifeboat house was raised to commemorate a Victorian actor, William Terriss (real name: William Charles James Lewin, b 20 February 1847) who was stabbed to death outside the Adelphi Theatre in London on 16 December 1897, whilst acting in the play 'Secret Service'.
Terriss was famous for his 'swashbuckling' and melodramatic roles and was known as 'Breezy Bill'. He was murdered by a destitute actor, Richard Arthur Prince, who he had previously helped but had recently sacked from a play in which the unstable actor had had a small part. He is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London. The boathouse was home to several active lifeboats between 1898 and 1924 when a new one was built in Royal Parade. The boathouse became the first permanent lifeboat museum in the country in 1937. The building is unchanged since it was built. When the boathouse was converted into the country's first Lifeboat Museum, it was officially opened on 22 March 1937 in the presence of William Terriss' daughter, Ellaline Terriss. |
back to top | |
References
| Source 1 : | |
| Title: | 'The Life of William Terriss ' |
| Type: | Book |
| Author: | Smythe, Arthur J. |
| Publisher: | Archibald Constable. London. |
back to top | |
Photographs
Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
back to top | |