At the eastern end of the quay at Poole, stands the town's old lifeboat house. Typical of many such 19th-century buildings, it no longer houses the modern Poole lifeboat (which is kept afloat) but is instead run as a small museum by and for the support of the Poole Branch of the RNLI.

The main exhibit, on permanent loan from the National Maritime Museum, is the former Poole lifeboat Thomas Kirk Wright. This was built in 1938 and was kept in and launched from the lifeboat house until the boat went out of service in 1962.

Apart from saving numerous civilian lives, the Thomas Kirk Wright was one of 18 lifeboats which served at the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 from which she was eventually towed home, badly damaged.

Visitor information

Open: April to early December (subject to availability of volunteer staff)
Times: 10.00–16.00 daily
Admission: Free