THE lifeboats Robert Charles Brown and Phyl & Jack will launch down their slipways at the current Swanage Life-boat Station for the last time tomorrow.

After Sunday, work starts on deconstructing the town’s lifeboat station, stone-by-stone, as part of the RNLI’s new £3.5million life-boat station proj-ect.

The existing boathouse at Peveril Point will be demolished, with a new state-of-the-art station, design-ed to house the charity’s Shan-non Class lifeboat, set to be constructed in its place.

Swanage RNLI lifeboat coxswain Martin Steeden said: “Sunday will mark the end of an era for Swanage RNLI.

“During my 37 years on the crew the current station has been the base for our lifeboats and it will be sad to see it go, but we look forward to the new station that should see us through the next 100 years and possibly beyond.”

The volunteer lifeboat crew will now take up temporary residence at Swanage Boat Park – from where lifeboats will be operational.

However, the next time any Swanage lifeboat launches down a slipway will be from the town’s new station in 2016.

The £1.5million jet-propelled Shannon Class lifeboat, the latest in the RNLI’s fleet, is also expected to be operational at Swanage by 2016.

An RNLI spokesman said: “The lifeboats are due to launch for the last time from the current lifeboat station at 10am and members of the public are welcome to visit the station to mark the end of an era for Swanage RNLI.”

The lifeboat station has been a feature at Peveril Point since its construction in 1875.