New institution urged to save lives of seafarers Civil war damage repaired in Peterborough Cathedral

The UK needs a new service dedicated to saving lives at sea, according to an exNapoleonic war officer who has led rescue attempts on the Isle of Man, where two Royal Navy vessels were wrecked late in 1822.

Sir William Hillary joined with local fishermen in efforts to save the crew of HMS Vigilant in a gale last October. But he is known to have been frustrated at the simple boats available for the rescue and the reluctance of some men to help because of the risk.

Now Sir William has published a pamphlet appealing for the formation of a о National Institution for the Preservation of Lives and Property from Shipwreck.

The appeal has been sent to the Royal Navy, ministers and VIPs, however reports suggest the Admiralty is unenthusiastic about the idea of a body devoted to life-saving, with substantial funding necessary as well as training.

Sir William Hillary (pictured above) says the heart of the institution he has proposed must be a large body of men “in constant readiness to risk their own lives for the preservation of those whom they have never known or seen, perhaps of another nation, merely because they are fellow creatures in extreme peril”.

Official figures indicate that there are an average of 1,800 shipwrecks a year around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. The danger of shipwreck is an accepted way of life at sea.

Almost 180 years after being badly damaged by Parliamentary forces during the Civil War, repairs have at last begun at Peterborough Cathedral in Northamptonshire.

Troops commanded by Oliver Cromwell wreaked havoc inside the building in 1643. It was built as an abbey in 1118 and designated a cathedral by Henry VIII in 1541 after the break with Rome.

Objecting to images in churches and features regarded as Catholic, the soldiers destroyed paintings, stone carvings, an altar, chapel, cloisters, stained glass windows and books.

Legal disputes followed the end of the republic and return of the monarchy, including over the ownership of the dean’s house.

Sporadic building happened during the 18th century, but it was not until the appointment of James Henry Monk as Dean of Peterborough last year that a restoration project began, costing о £6,000. The architect is Edward Blore, responsible for Sir Walter Scott’s house, Abbotsford

The work is expected to be finished about 1830. Some original materials are being reused, like this font, rescued from use since the 1640s as a flower tub in a nearby garden.