In celebration of 1,000 years of innovation centred on the Lymington River, St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery are hosting a festival and a series of events called Lymington Afloat. Berthon’s part of the festivities will begin in August with a new addition to St Barbe’s permanent exhibition adjacent to our Search & Rescue exhibit in August which will teach children and grown-ups how to tie marine knots.
On Friday 6th September, Berthon’s Managing Director, Brian May, with Yard Manager, Keith Longman, presented “Past and Present -The Berthon Boat Company” at the Baptist Church Hall opposite the museum. The Exhibition itself commences on 14th September and continues until January 11th 2025.
“Thank you so much for the invitation. It was fascinating and something we would not have visited”
“Many thanks for the kind invitation, we really enjoyed the evening and seeing the exhibition”
“Thanks for a lovely evening. It’s a fantastic exhibition and a huge thanks to Berthon for supporting it”
When and where?
The Town Trail Festival will take place on the weekend of September 28th and 29th. The trail starts at St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, working its way down the high street and along the town quay, to Berthon, as well as 27 other destinations. It concludes at Salterns Sailing Club.
Berthon’s involvement and what to see
As the headline sponsor, Berthon is proud to focus on Maritime training inviting various showcase boats to visit Lymington Afloat’s Festival on the last weekend, 28th & 29th September.
On the Lymington Town Quay you can visit:
An RNLI Severn Class lifeboat, 21 (nearly half their fleet) were built by Berthon – NB, subject to calls to save lives!
See all the RNLI Severn Class Lifeboats Berthon built here.
HDML MEDUSA was built in Poole in 1943 is now the last of 464 vessels of her class that is in original and seagoing condition. Berthon were contracted to build 223 vessels during World War; this included a number of HDMLs -Harbour Defence Motor Launches as well as various undercover vessels that ended up in far away waters.
Berthon will show a number of other boats we work on and sell in the leisure, commercial and Defence markets will be available, along with modern sustainable products, such as the drive on Versadocks and Hydro Hoists that allow boats to do away with antifouling paint, as well as high tech GEMINI RIBs, and BHG’s fleet of Jeanneau motor boats.
Further down the trail in Bath Road at #14 on the map you will find oodles of smaller trailed outboard boats & tenders available to see along the trail in Bath Road.
MGB81 (Motor Gun Boat) and HSL 102 (High Speed Launch), two WW2 boats serviced, repaired and maintained by Berthon, will also be on open ship on display to clamber on board on the Harbour Master’s pontoon near the Yacht Clubs at the end of Bath Road. Read about WW2 MGB 81 Motor Gun Boat restoration here and about the restoration of the WW2 vessel, HSL 102 here.
Our History
Berthon has a rich maritime history intertwined with Lymington. This river based town was mentioned as Lentune in the Domesday Book in 1086 and since 1272, The Shipyard on the river has educated and employed local tradesmen and women. Local Roads have taken marine words such as Town Quay & Quay Street, Captains Road, Nelsons Place, & Rope Hill. Furthermore, the Alarm Inn at the bottom of Quay Hill was named after the 193-ton cutter built by The Shipyard in 1830, and the largest boat built here was 366-tons called Fortuna lent its name to the moorings to the south of the Shipyard where the owner Sir Adrian Hope, parked his schooner in the mud. Our long-standing tradition of craftsmanship and community engagement continues to be the foundation of our success. Read more on Berthon’s history here.
Educating future generations
Berthon, a company with 165 employees at the heart of Lymington and the maritime industry, is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of boat builders through our apprenticeship schemes. We take on up to 10 apprentices per annum and our retention and graduation rate is currently 100%. We collaborate closely with local schools to educate students and staff about the opportunities the marine industry can provide. Learn more about our apprenticeship scheme here.
Berthon Boat Company past and present
Watch Brian May deliver a compelling talk about Berthon’s history
Learn about Reverend Edward Lyon Berthon, the inventor and creator of the Berthon Collapsible Lifeboat
