RNLI museum is emptied ahead of restoration work

The lifeboat H F Bailey, used in rescues by Henry Blogg, is being housed elsewhere wile a full restoration of the museum takes place

A coastal museum dedicated to the history of lifesaving at sea has been emptied of all exhibits ahead of a £1m restoration of the damp building.

The RNLI Henry Blogg Museum removed its entire collection - including an historic lifeboat used by its namesake - from The Rocket House in Cromer, with many people taking to the streets to wave the boat goodbye as it made its way through the North Norfolk town.

The building is to have extensive repairs, with the museum expected to return some time next year, having closed in August.

Museum manager Jacqui Palmer said the removal of the lifeboat in late September was "nail biting to the very end".

The boat had occupied much of the ground floor of the museum

'Delicate and complex'

The RNLI said the collection was "vital to both the history of the town’s life saving past and the RNLI’s 200 years of life saving" - and was now in safe storage.

The H F Bailey is the most famous RNLI lifeboat to have served from Cromer, as it was used by the most decorated crew member in its history, Henry Blogg, for many of his lifesaving rescues in the 1930s and 40s, it added.

"The operation to move the H F Bailey, and the entire collection, has been delicate and complex, and has taken months of planning," added Ms Palmer.

"For the Bailey, we were dependent on so many different factors – including the weather, tides and availability of partners and contractors.

"It’s was an extraordinary and pain-staking event that involved the hard work of many people."

The lifeboat's return to The Rocket House is due to coincide with the 90th anniversary of her arrival in service in 1935.