RNLI leaves Chiswick Pier after nearly 25 years

Chiswick lifeboat crews have begun operating from their new Wandsworth Riverside station, bringing an end its time at Chiswick Pier

Chiswick RNLI has officially moved out of its long time home at Chiswick Pier, with crews beginning operations from a new station at Wandsworth Riverside.

The move, which takes effect today, Tuesday 22 September, brings an end to almost a quarter-century of the lifeboat station being based at Chiswick Pier.

The new station is called Wandsworth Riverside, although its crews will continue to cover the same stretch of the River Thames, from Battersea to Richmond. The RNLI says the new location should also reduce response times because it is closer to where the majority of incidents happen.

For those living around Chiswick, the change means the familiar lifeboat station at the pier is no longer operational. But the crews will continue to be a regular sight on the river as they respond to calls across the same area.

It is “an enormous loss for Chiswick”, said former councillor John Todd.

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The Chiswick lifeboat crew 

The original station was opened in January 2002 as part of the RNLI’s new search and rescue service on the tidal Thames. At Chiswick, the lifeboat crew initially shared facilities with the Chiswick Pier Trust, using shared meeting rooms, a kitchen and toilets.

The cramped arrangements became increasingly unsuitable as the operation grew. The station’s 60 volunteers had just a small cupboard for their kit and had to take their equipment home after every shift.

The new Wandsworth station is intended to change that.

The building has more than ten times the floor space of the RNLI’s former leased area at Chiswick Pier. There’s now a dedicated kit room with hanging space for every volunteer, a meeting and training room, bunk and rest rooms, and a larger crew room with a fully equipped kitchen.

The new station at Wandsworth

There’s also a public engagement space with its own entrance, where the RNLI plans to run water safety and education sessions and sell RNLI merchandise. In the summer, activities can spill out onto the terrace overlooking the river.

The new base is also directly connected to the river, with part of the existing Wandsworth jetty upgraded to provide dedicated moorings for the duty and standby lifeboats.

That should make it quicker for crews to get from the station to their boats, while the station itself is closer to the areas where the RNLI most frequently receives calls.

The scale of the operation helps explain why the move was needed. Chiswick RNLI is the second busiest lifeboat station in the UK and Ireland. Before the move, its crews had already attended 212 incidents from Chiswick in 2026.

Since the RNLI’s Thames search and rescue service began in 2002, the Chiswick station has attended more than 5,600 incidents and rescued more than 2,500 people.

The move follows years of discussion about finding the crew a more suitable permanent home. A possible relocation to Wandsworth was first reported by The Chiswick Calendar in 2024, when the RNLI was investigating whether its existing building could be converted into a new riverside station.

More recently, the Chiswick Pier Trust held a farewell event for the RNLI in August, marking the end of the charity’s 24 years at the pier and thanking its crews and volunteers for their contribution to the local community.

The new station has been taking shape over the summer, including a new visitor centre, training facilities and dedicated lifeboat berths.

READ ALSO: Celebrating Chiswick RNLI: A farewell to the crew and volunteers

READ ALSO: Fit-out progresses at Chiswick RNLI’s new Wandsworth base

So while the sign on the building has changed, the RNLI’s work on the Chiswick stretch of the Thames continues. The boats may now be moored a few miles downstream, but the crews will still be answering calls along the river that has been their patch for nearly a quarter of a century.