Padstow Lifeboat Station has been at Trevose Head west of Padstow, Cornwall, since 1967. Before that it was at Hawker's Cove on the Camel estuary between the town and the sea. The lifeboat station is run by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and since 2006 has been the base for Tamar-class RNLB Spirit of Padstow.

The entrance to the River Camel is difficult to navigate because of the Doom Bar sandbank. This, and the steep cliffs and rocks along coast either side of the estuary, have been the site of many shipwrecks. In 1827 a small double-ended lifeboat was built by a local boat builder for £50, £10 of which was provided by the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (as the RNLI was known at the time) and the remainder from local people. The Padstow Harbour Association for the Preservation of Life and Property from Shipwreck was founded at a public meeting on 11 November 1829. Funding came from Lloyd's of London and several companies involved in shipping along the coast. Equipment was provided to help vessels enter and leave the estuary; Manby's mortars were provided to help crews escape shipwrecks, and a boathouse was built at Hawker's Cove for the lifeboat which was closer to the Doom Bar than the quay where it had previously been kept.

The Harbour Association's lifeboat was in poor condition by 1855 and so the RNLI undertook to provide a new one. It arrived at Padstow on 3 June 1856 and kept in the boathouse at Hawker's Cove. A larger lifeboat was provided in 1864 for which a new boathouse was built at Hawker's Cove next to the earlier one. The lifeboat capsized on 6 February 1867 while attempting to rescue the crew of a schooner, resulting in the deaths of five of the lifeboat crew.

The lifeboats were often taken overland to alternative launch sites, either because the weather prevented crossing the Doom Bar, or to be nearer to the ship to be aided. A carriage house was built in Trethillick Lane in 1883. When it was required, the carriage was taken from here to the harbour and the lifeboat rowed up from Hawker's Cove and loaded onto the carriage. Horses for the carriage were borrowed from farmers. 1899 saw a change in the way Padstow lifeboats were operated. The 'pulling and sailing' lifeboat continued to be kept in the boathouse, but a new Steam-class lifeboat was moored in the estuary which could operate further from the station or in bad weather. Both lifeboats were lost on 11 April 1900 when they were called out to a fishing boat that had run aground. The smaller lifeboat was replaced by a similar boat, but the steam lifeboat was replaced by a steam tug and a larger 'pulling and sailing' lifeboat that usually worked as a pair.

A motor lifeboat replaced the steam tug and its lifeboat in May 1929, and a smaller motor lifeboat took up the Hawker's Cove station in 1931 where a new boathouse and slipway were built. The small lifeboat in the boathouse had always been known as 'Padstow No.1' and the larger one moored in the harbour was 'Padstow No.2', but in 1938 the numbers were reversed with the larger boat becoming 'Padstow No.1'. Hawker's Cove was closed on 31 March 1962 due to silting, the other lifeboat now working from the harbour on its own.

Silting around Hawker's Cove and the Doom Bar made it increasingly difficult to reach the sea, so a new boathouse was built at Trevose Head, on the coast to the west of Padstow. The lifeboat was launched down a 348 ft (106 m) roller slipway with an incline of 1 in 5½. It became operational on 23 October 1967 and Malcolm Arnold wrote the ‘Padstow Lifeboat March’ to mark the occasion. The boathouse at Trevose Head was replaced by a new one which was built alongside and opened on 17 July 2006. This had a 75 m (246 ft) slipway at an incline on 1 in 5. Meanwhile, in 1994, an inshore lifeboat station had been opened at Rock to provide cover in the estuary and close inshore.

13 lifeboat crew have been killed in two separate incidents at Padstow.

On 6 February 1867 the RNLB Albert Edward went out to the schooner Georgiana which was caught in a gale while on its way from Rouen to Cork. Five of the lifeboat crew (Daniel Shea, William Intross, Thomas Varco, Andrew Truscott and Michael Crennel) drowned after it capsized. The five people on the Georgiana managed to get ashore after it ran aground and the lifeboat righted itself and was repaired. A memorial to the men who died was placed on the wall of Padstow church.

On 11 April 1900 the ketch Peace and Plenty of Lowestoft dragged her anchor in a gale. Five of the ketch's crew were rescued by the Trebetherick Rocket Brigade but three drowned. RNLB Arab was anchored by the ketch and running out the cable to get closer when a large wave hit the boat, swamping it and breaking 9 of its 10 oars. The crew managed to get the lifeboat ashore but it was wrecked. The steam lifeboat James Stevens No. 4 was launched but capsized as it left the estuary. The four men in the engine room (John Martin, James Old, Joseph Stephens and Sydney East) were unable to escape and four of the deck crew (David Grubb, John Bate, James Grubb and Edward Kane) were also drowned. Memorials to 7 of the lost crew is in Padstow Cemetery but the other man is buried at St Merryn.

28 silver and 2 bronze RNLI medals have been awarded for services in and around Padstow.

The first silver medal awarded at Padstow was to W Giles for his part in the rescue of 4 people from a ship that was aground on the Doom Bar on 29 November 1833. The Harbour Association's lifeboat capsized so Giles took another boat out with 7 volunteers. The Harbour Association's lifeboat succeeded in saving three men on 30 November 1836 after two vessels collided and ran aground. Mitchel Wade was awarded a silver medal for leading the rescue. Another silver medal was awarded to Coastguard Chief Officer Joseph Mortley for his part in using the rocket apparatus to rescue people from a ship aground on the Doom Bar on 31 March 1841. Boat builder Richard Tredwen was awarded a silver medal after leading the rescue of 7 from another boat which grounded on the Doom Bar on 28 October 1843. Three silver medals were awarded to William Johns, William Dark and William Found after saving 21 people from the Marchioness of Abercorn when it was wrecked on 8 December 1847 while on passage from Quebec to London.

Daniel Shea was awarded a silver medal for two rescues in one week in 1859. 7 people were saved from the Gonsalve of Nantes On 8 March 1859 and another 7 from the Frederick William of Ipswich on 15 March 1859. The Emperor of the French also awarded silver medals to all of the men involved in the rescue of the Gonsalve. Daniel Shea was awarded a silver second-service clasp after entering the sea in an attempt to rescue the crew of a ship aground near Trevose Head on 22 January 1860. He was in the lifeboat again on 29 December 1865 and was awarded a silver third-service clasp. William Hills was in charge of the lifeboat on this occasion and was also awarded a silver medal; 17 men being saved from the Juliet of Greenock. William Hills was given a second-service clasp in 1870 for his 'long and gallant services' at Padstow.

Silver medals were awarded to Ellen Prideaux Brune, Gertrude Prideaux Brune, Mary Prideaux Brune, Beatrice Prideaux Brune and Nora O'Shaughnessy after they took the rowing boat they were in to rescue a sailor from a boat which capsized off Bray Hill on 9 August 1879. William Webb was given a silver medal in 1883 to mark his retirement after 13 years as lifeboat coxswain.

The first silver medal at Padstow in the twentieth century was awarded to William Baker for leading a double rescue on 12 November 1911. The RNLB Arab was launched because a schooner was seen to be in trouble. It ran aground on the Doom Bar and 6 people were taken off and landed. The lifeboat immediately put out again as a French ship was also known to be in trouble and it too struck the Doom Bar. The tired lifeboat crew were unable to reach the grounded vessel so returned to the station for fresh hands. With some new volunteers now on board, the Arab managed to rescue the ship's captain. William Baker also received a bronze medal for leading the rescue on 11 February 1928 of 18 men from the SS Taormina despite sea conditions making it difficult to get past the Doom Bar. On 27 November 1928 the RNLI's steam tug Helen Peele went out to search for a missing fishing boat. It was found near Port Quin where it was in danger of being running aground. The tug managed to get alongside and take off the 5 crew for which Joseph Atkinson was awarded a bronze medal.

William Orchard took the RLNB Princess Mary into heavy surf on 23 November 1944 to save 7 people from the steamer Sjofna. He was awarded a silver medal for this along with the Maud Smith Award for the bravest act of life-saving by a lifeboatman that year. John Murt was given a silver medal for rescuing 10 from the Kedah on 12 August 1946 after 7 hours at sea in 'almost impossible conditions' during which the lifeboat was damaged.

The final medal service from Padstow Harbour was made on 23 November 1965. The RNLB Joseph Hiram Chadwick went to the aid of the fishing boat Deo Gratias after it lost its rudder in a storm. The silver medal was awarded to Gordon Elliott for rescuing its crew of 2.

The RNLB James and Catherine Macfarlane launched from Trevose Head late at night on 7 December 1975 when flares were seen. A storm was blowing and large waves broke across the lifeboat, smashing the windscreen and injuring several of the crew. A framed 'Certificate of Thanks inscribed on Vellum' was presented to the coxswain and crew. The lifeboat was launched on 17 July 1977 and saved 2 people and a dog from the yacht Calcutta Princess. Anthony Warnock and Trevor England were awarded silver medals for this difficult rescue which was performed dangerously close to rocks at Dinas Head. The Padstow Lifeboat was one of many that were in service on 14 and 15 August 1979 when the yachts taking part in the Fastnet Race were overcome by an unexpected storm. The crew received a special framed certificate for their work in bringing several boats safely to harbour. A silver second-service clasp was awarded to Trevor England when the lifeboat attended the Greek cargo ship Skopelos Sky which was being blown ashore at Port Quinn in a force 10 storm on 15 December 1979. The 'Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum' was presented to all the crew members as is usual for a medal service, but this was extended to the shore crew who had the difficult task of rehousing the lifeboat when it returned to Trevose Head that evening when the storm was still making huge waves at the bottom of the slipway.

A 'Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman' was sent to the crew after the RNLB James Burrough stood by the cargo vessel Secil Japan which had grounded on rocks in Deadman's Cove on 12 March 1989. Heavy seas damaged the lifeboat and it was unable to be taken back into the boathouse until after daybreak. H Murt was awarded a British Empire Medal in 1988 as was Trevor England in 1992.

The RNLB Spirit of Padstow was launched at 11:08 on 25 June 2007. The Coresande had suffered damage in a storm. The yacht's crew were lifted off by helicopter and the lifeboat towed the vessel into Padstow harbour. Before it could be rehoused it was diverted to another small boat, the Fly which was aground near the Doom Bar. After this the sea conditions were too rough to return to Trevose Head so the crew moored in Padstow at 23:35. For this lengthy double service, Alan Tarby was presented with 'Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum' and Luke Chown and Christopher Murphy, who had gone aboard the Coresande, were given 'Framed Letters of Thanks signed by the Chairman'. Alan Tarby received a Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the Chairman for a service to a yacht on 29 April 2013.

The current lifeboat station was designed by Poynton Bradbury Wynter Cole with Haskoning UK acting as consulting engineers. The building work was contracted to John Martin Construction. Most of the materials arrived by sea and a jack-up barge was used as a work base. The boathouse is elevated above the sea; access from the cliff top is by the steps and hoist that were constructed for the 1967 boathouse. The lifeboat is kept on a tipping cradle so that it can be kept level for maintenance but launched down the 1 in 5, 75 m (246 ft) slipway. The boathouse has a C-shaped profile for the copper exterior which is built on a timber frame. Construction cost £6,829,900.

'ON' is the Official Number used in RNLI records from 1884.
'Op.No.' is the Operational Number of the boat carried on the boat.

Boat kept in a boathouse and launched across the beach. Known as Padstow No. 1 station from 1899 to 1938, then Padstow No. 2 station from 1938 to 1962.

At Padstow	ON	Name	Class	Comments
1827–1856	–	Mariners Friend	23-foot Palmer	23 ft (7.0 m) boat with 4 oars.Kept on Padstow quay until the boathouse was built at Hawker's Cove.
1856–1864	–	Albert Edward	Peake	30 ft (9.1 m) boat.
1864–1883	–	Albert Edward	Standard Self-righter	32 ft (9.8 m) boat.
1883–1900	51	Arab	Standard Self-righter	34 ft (10 m) boat, wrecked in service.
1900–1931	472	Arab	Standard Self-righter	36 ft (11 m) boat.
1931–1938	743	John and Sarah Eliza Stych	Self-righter	Motor lifeboat.
1938–1939	623	Docea Chapman	34-foot 8in Self-righting (P&S) Dungeness (Rubie)
1939–1947	738	J.H.W.	Self-righter	Motor lifeboat.
1947–1951	747	Stanhope Smart	Self-righter	Motor lifeboat.
1951–1962	891	Bassett Green	Liverpool	Motor lifeboat.

Boat kept afloat on moorings. Known as Padstow No. 2 station from 1899 to 1938, then Padstow No. 1 station from 1938 to 1962.

At Padstow	ON	Name	Class	Comments
1899–1900	421	James Stevens No. 4	Steam	Wrecked on service.
1901–1929	475	Edmund Harvey	Standard Self-righter	42 ft (13 m) boat.
1901–1929	478	Helen Peele	Steam Tug
1929–1952	715	Princess Mary	Barnett-class	Motor lifeboat.
1952–1967	898	Joseph Hiram Chadwick	Barnett-class	Motor lifeboat.

At Padstow	ON	Op. No.	Name	Class	Comments
1967–1983	989	48-02	James and Catherine MacFarlane	Oakley
1983–1984	926	–	Guy and Clare Hunter	Watson	Relief lifeboat from September 1983 until July 1984.
1984	952	–	The Duke of Cornwall (Civil Service No.33)	Barnett	Temporary lifeboat from July until December 1984.
1984–2006	1094	47-003	James Burrough	Tyne
2006–	1283	16-04	Spirit of Padstow	Tamar

• List of RNLI stations
• Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats

• Leonard, Richie; Denton, Tony (2024). Lifeboat Enthusiasts Handbook 2024. Lifeboat Enthusiasts Society.

• RNLI: Padstow