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    This is Durham Blog

You are here > Home > Things to Do > East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre

East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre

Seaham Harbour Marina
Seaham
County Durham
SR7 7EE

Tel: +44 0191 581 8904

Email

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Add East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre to your Itinerary

East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre
  • East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre
  • East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre
  • East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre

About

East Durham Heritage and Lifeboat Centre is located in Seaham’s Harbour Marina where the historic lifeboat The George Elmy is on permanent display. The Centre’s exhibition facility enables the East Durham Heritage Group to hold themed displays relating to the maritime, industrial and social heritage of the area.

Seaham’s heritage history dates from before the 8th century Anglo Saxon church of St Mary the Virgin adjacent to Seaham Hall on the headland to the north of the town through the era of the Milbanke’s and their relationship with Lord Byron to Lord and Lady Londonderry who created the harbour for the export of coal from their collieries of East Durham. Following the closure of the collieries Seaham has seen many changes and is now attracting large numbers of visitors to the beaches, seafront promenade and marina.

Seaham is located on Durham’s Heritage Coast and is County Durham's only port.

The Centre provides educational visit facilities for both school and adult groups on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The East Durham Heritage & Lifeboat Centre is managed and staffed solely by volunteers of the East Durham Heritage Group and enthusiastic new volunteers are always needed. If members of the public feel they would like to help then they should please visit the Centre.

Our aim is to collect and preserve information and artefacts relating to Seaham’s heritage and make it available to all generations as an educational facility. “Without knowing our past how can we know and appreciate our present and future?”  

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TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor Traveller Rating:

4.7 of 5 stars
115 reviews
    • Excellent
      80
    • Very Good
      31
    • Average
      4
    • Poor
      0
    • Terrible
      0

    Recent Reviews:

    • O1138UZbrians
      Trip Type:
      Couples
      well worth a vissit
      4 of 5 stars
      Tuesday, 12th July 2022
      A lovely place to visit , we took a detour on the way home from Newcastle the only down side was that we was unable to walk down to the light house as it was only accessible to local fishing members... Read full review
    • PeterReigate
      Otley, United Kingdom
      Trip Type:
      Couples
      Very Moving
      4 of 5 stars
      Tuesday, 20th September 2022
      A very interesting visit. The display centres on the loss and salvage (and subsequent reconstruction) of the town lifeboat. There are many other interesting nartefacts to look at including history of... Read full review
    • Hugh C
      A great experience, highly recommended.
      5 of 5 stars
      Friday, 1st March 2024
      This was our first visit to Seaham and we discovered the heritage and lifeboat centre while down at Seaham Harbour Marina. The lifeboat shed houses the beautifully restored lifeboat and includes a... Read full review
    Write a review
    © TripAdvisor 2025

    Facilities

    Catering

    • On-Site café/restaurant
    • Picnic Site

    Parking & Transport

    • On site parking

    Provider Facilities

    • Toilets

    Provider Features

    • In town/city centre - Coastal town on Durham's Heritage Coast.

    Access Information

    Opening Times

    2025 (1 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2025)
    facebook: https://www.facebook.com/East-Durham-Heritage-and-Lifeboat-Centre-541988412661160/

    Map & Directions

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