A MASSIVE tent has been created to allow conservation work to start on the Dock Museum’s iconic lifeboat.

The iconic Herbert Leigh has been surrounded by a huge metal framed tent to allow the boat to dry so that conservation work can begin.

Herbert Leigh was the longest serving lifeboat at the Barrow RNLI station from 1951 – 1982. She was donated to the RNLI in 1951 by Herbert Leigh.

In 30 years of service, she was launched 136 times and saved 71 lives. She was donated to The Dock Museum at Barrow in 1990 and first underwent conservation work by Patterson Boatworks in 2006.

A grant of £120,000, from leading waste management company FCC Environment, will be used to conserve the lifeboat, landscape the museum site and install a walkway from the car park to the museum.