RNLI Lifeboat Crew Departs from Chiswick Pier Station

Over 2,500 people rescued in nearly a quarter of a century of operations

The Chiswick Lifeboat crew on one of its final rescues this week. Picture: RNLI

September 22, 2026

After nearly a quarter of a century operating from quarters at Chiswick Pier, the RNLI crew who patrol the tidal Thames have officially moved into their new home downstream. This Tuesday (22 September), Chiswick Lifeboat Station became Wandsworth Riverside, marking the end of a long search for a permanent base with the space and facilities needed for one of the busiest lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland.

Chiswick RNLI attended 212 incidents in 2026 before the move and more than 5,600 since the Thames service began in 2002. Over 2,500 people have been rescued in that time. In the last week alone, the crew has been called out 5 times with at least one of the rescues classed as potentially life-saving.

When the RNLI launched its dedicated search and rescue service on the Thames in January 2002, the four stations at Chiswick, Teddington, Tower and Gravesend were opened at speed, using whatever accommodation was immediately available. At Chiswick, the lifeboat crew shared a building with the Chiswick Pier Trust. Meeting rooms, the kitchen and toilets were communal spaces, the kit room was little more than a cupboard, and the station’s 60 volunteers had to take their kit home after every shift. The arrangement was always intended to be temporary, but finding a suitable site on the river proved far more difficult than expected.

Over the years, the RNLI explored numerous options, including sketch plans for floating stations at two different locations. None proved viable. It was only when a former sales centre for the Wandsworth Riverside Quarter development became available—later converted into offices and then granted change of use—that a permanent solution finally emerged. After a full refit, the building now serves as the new Wandsworth Riverside Lifeboat Station.

The new station has more than ten times the floor space of the leased rooms at Chiswick. Volunteers now have a large kit room with hanging space for every crew member, eliminating the need to carry equipment back and forth. A dedicated meeting room can be used for management discussions or laid out for training sessions. There are bunk and rest rooms for duty and off-duty crew, and a spacious open-plan crew room with a well-equipped galley, providing enough space for teams working 12-hour shifts around the clock.

A public engagement space on the ground floor has its own entrance, separate from operational areas. It will host water-safety education visits, community talks and retail activity, with the option to expand onto the riverside terrace during summer events.

The new station is ten times the size of the one at Chiswick Pier. Picture: RNLI

The move also brings operational advantages. Wandsworth Pier is a stop on the Thames Clipper passenger service and home to numerous houseboats. Part of the existing jetty has been upgraded to provide moorings for the duty and standby lifeboats, which are now visible from the first-floor crew room and slightly closer than the moorings at Chiswick. Crucially, the new location is nearer to the majority of incidents attended by the crew, meaning call-out times should improve.

Despite the change of address, the lifeboat crews will continue to operate in the same stretch of river between Battersea and Richmond, remaining a familiar sight along the Chiswick riverside.

As ever, the RNLI’s work remains entirely funded by public donations.