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Rowing club rallies round to save historic boathouse

Thomas MartinBBC Scotland
News imageBBC An elderly lady is stood with short grey hair and blue jacket on she has pearl earrings and a navy scarf on. She is stood in front of two St Ayles skiffs, one has a towel draped over the tip of it.BBC
Fay Waddell said they knew it would be difficult to raise funding

A community rowing group is rallying round to save a historic boathouse on Eyemouth Harbour.

The Old Coble House on the town's Marine Parade once housed rescue skiffs for local fishermen in the 1800s, before the RNLI was established.

Now home to Eyemouth Community Rowing Club, the building has fallen into disrepair and members are aiming to raise £95,000 to restore and secure its future.

They are being supported in the effort by local trainee craftsmen taking part in a traditional skills programme run by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust.

News imageA old boathouse is being worked on by people in high vis jackets and to the right of the picture is a slipway that lets you see right along to beach. the coast line of Eyemouth is visible.
The Old Coble House has been a fixture of Eyemouth's harbour for more than 175 years

Club secretary Fay Waddell said: "We like to employ local people to do it because we know they will do a good job.

"But we know it will be hard to get the first bit of funding in."

The Old Coble House sits just off the beach at Eyemouth, with a slipway leading directly into the bay - a crucial feature when it was built in the early 1800s by the town's fishermen.

Designed with the upturned hull of a boat forming part of its roof, the building served as the base for the town's rescue boats.

News imageA very old image of the Eyemouth harbour. through all the masts the Old Coble House is visible with an upturned hull of a boat as its roof
The Old Coble House originally had the upturned hull of a boat as it is roof

In 1876, the RNLI established a lifeboat station on the opposite side of the harbour, bringing the Old Coble House's lifesaving role to an end.

Kevin McClure, project leader of the traditional skills programme, said it was a pleasure to have local people working on local history.

"There is a crisis in traditional skills at the moment and the chance to work on these historic buildings for the trainees is huge," he said.

News imageA man is stood in front of a blue sliding door. he is wearing a yellow beanie, a high vis jacket and a blue goretex hoodie
Kevin McClure leads the project teaching traditional skills

So far, the trainees have been hard at work restoring the main door on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Kevin said he had been pleased with their progress, though he admitted there was an element of learning on the job.

The rowing club is now focused on securing funding and rallying as much community support as possible.

Fay said plans were being drawn up and discussions were under way with local tradespeople to ensure the Old Coble House stayed afloat for generations to come.

"Well because of the history of it, it has become a community asset, it will be used by us, by others and I am sure people in future once we are too old to row," she added.

News imageThe corner of a building that is decaying. you can see bare brick through the concrete of the wall. The blue paint on the wooden parts of the door has peeled away in areas.
The work is going to cost the rowing club £95,000