RNLI Grace Darling Museum — Attraction in Bamburgh

If you have decided to make a visit to see Bamburgh Castle then why not check out the Museum dedicated to Grace Darling. If you have parked your car in the large car park opposite the Castle. then it's just a short walk into the village and the museum is opposite St Aidans church. (If you visit the Church Yard you will easily spot the magnificent tomb erected over Miss Darlings grave).

The Museum is FREE.😊 and run by the RNLI, donations are welcomed. It is spread over two floors and honours the bravery of both Grace and her Lighthouse Keeper father. They rowed out to a ship battered on the rocks and saved 9 sailors from certain death while putting their own on the line.

Grace was born in 1815, the rescue took place in 1838 and she died in 1842. This was a short life by any standard but an eventful one.

The Museum is open daily from 10am until 5pm. Good wheelchair access around the whole Museum with a lift to the upper floor.

Good venue to visit in my opinion and don't forget to pop over to...

You can look at all the exhibits they have there, but it is not until you see the boat that Grace and her father, William Darling. Rowed to rescue the people from the wrecked ship called the Forfarshire. That you realise just what an incredible story it is. The boat was big 20 feet long, 6 feet wide, and it weighed 300 kilos. When Grace and her father reached the wreck, William Darling jumped onto the wreck to look for survivors. Meaning Grace was on her own, and Grace was not a big lassie, only 5ft 2. She had to stop the boat from being smashed to bits on the rocks, but at the same time hold the boat steady so her father and the survivors could get into the boat.

Because all of this was during a terrible storm, it just makes the story even more incredible. Not the 1st time I had been to the museum, but it is certainly one of my favourite...

The Grace Darling story is a very interesting one, which I knew little to nothing about, however coming out of the very sweet museum I feel confident explaining the enormous feat to someone. There are 2 videos, the first when you walk in, it talks about modern day female RNLI heroines. And the second being about the timeline during which the daring rescue took place. The small, but informative, place has a few interactive features including a (roughly) 7ft high lighthouse. The light house has a few buttons lighting up different parts of the lighthouse. Upstairs there is an observatory room with directions on how to get to and see some local landmarks. The volunteers were extremely helpful and kind. But, for me, the best bit was that the coble that Grace and her father used to rescue the survivers was actually...