The Lifeboat Horse is located by the beacon on the harbour sandbank, appearing to stand at low tide and swim at high tide.
It’s made from steel bars & whisky barrels and anchored to the seabed using huge metal pins.
The sculpture is removed and stored during the colder months for protection from the harsher winter sea, and reinstated in the spring. Moving the heavy horse is a delicate operation requiring a boat with a crane and perfect timing.
The Lifeboat Horse stands in the harbour opposite the Harbour Office. The 3-metre high sculpture is fully visible at low tide, and partially submerged at high tide, appearing to swim through the water.
It has been part of the town since the Wells Heritage Art Trail in 2018.
The sculpture is on display during spring and summer, removed and stored in winter.
It’s a much-loved feature of Wells, popular with locals and visitors, and is involved in marking important events in the town such as the RNLI’s 200th anniversary celebrations in 2024.
The Lifeboat Horse can also occasionally be seen on the floating pontoon in the harbour.
The Wells Heritage Art Trail was the first-ever outdoor art trail in Wells-next-the-Sea that took place in summer 2018. It comprised a series of sculptures celebrating the town’s rich and varied history.
All the work was created by Norfolk artists specifically for the event which ran from June until the end of September. Commissioned by Wells Maltings and funded by the Heritage Lottery, the sculpture trail featured 17 artworks by 26 artists, all for sale.
The trail was curated by well-known Wells residents and art experts John and Yvonne Millwood. “The Wells Heritage Art Trail celebrates the life of the Wells people of sea and shore, past and present, with each artwork telling its own story” John Millwood explained.
He added “All the works reflect the heritage of Wells. The Art Trail should be appealing to local people and to all those interested in life on the sea and the shore. It’s accessible to all.”
Wells Maltings contacted artist Rachael Long and asked her to submit a proposal for the sculpture trail. She visited Wells and met with Harbour Master Robert Smith MBE to discuss the project.
“We talked about the site that he wanted one of the sculptures to be on, which was in the harbour. We discussed my work, which is mainly animals and birds, and he showed me this amazing photograph of the Wells lifeboat being pulled on to the beach by five pairs of heavy horses.”
She discovered that, in the 1800s when rockets were fired to summon the lifeboat crew, the horses knew to gallop to the gate and be led down to the lifeboat house on the quay. They would then pull the 33ft lifeboat two and a half miles to Holkham Gap where it was launched. These same horses were also used to haul heavy cargo in the harbour.
Rachel found her inspiration there and then. “I realised I didn’t really have any choice but to do a sculpture of these horses – it seemed so natural, and it fully answered the brief.”
Artist Rachael Long described the process: “I made the whole thing here in my workshop at home. I had to take it out to put the ears on and then he stayed in a huge grain shed on our farm.”
The 3-metre high sculpture is made from steel bars & whisky barrels and anchored to the seabed using huge metal pins. The complex installation required a boat with a crane and exact timing to avoid the tides.
The sculpture was on show for the duration of the art trail throughout summer 2018. In October, when the trail had finished, the Lifeboat Horse was removed.
The Lifeboat Horse proved so popular with tourists and residents that the local community decided to buy the sculpture and make it a permanent feature.
The Harbour Commissioners started a campaign to raise the £15,000 required to reinstall it. Harbour Master Robert Smith MBE said it was important to buy the sculpture because “so many people loved it.”
“People have already come from all over the country to see the horse – it’s good for tourism, it’s good for Wells and it’s good for Norfolk.”
The community rallied round, with local businesses and residents donating money, even the local children donated their pocket money, and together they raised the £15,000 with donations ranging from £1 to £1,500.
The Harbour Master said he was “thrilled” to hit the target. “I can’t believe people’s generosity. It’s been quite humbling.”
The Lifeboat Horse made a welcome return to the harbour in May 2019.
In November 2023 the Wells Harbour Commission worked with the Royal British Legion (RBL) to transform the Lifeboat Horse into a War Horse for Remembrance Day.
Robert Smith MBE the Harbour Master was asked by a member of the public if he would consider using the Lifeboat Horse in remembrance commemorations.
“The Wells Harbour team came up with the War Horse idea, and after collaborating with the local RBL, it was decided to fix 109 handmade woollen poppies onto the horse, to represent one for each name on the Wells War Memorial,” Mr Smith explained.
“It is also 109 years since the start of World War I.”
The Wells-next-the-Sea remembrance memorial can be found on Theatre Road, on the wall of the Wells War Memorial Institute Club.
