A 19th century RNLI FitzRoy Barometer is located on the front wall of No. 20 Goat Street, St Davids. FitzRoy Barometers were provided to RNLI stations from the 1860s as a means to provide information to local seafarers about the weather, in order to help improve safety at sea. They also played a role in providing weather information more widely. The example in St Davids is No. 104 and is likely to have been installed when the RNLI St Davids was opened in 1869, or shortly afterwards (see NPRN 34348).
The Barometer is contained within a case that is 2.4m high and has a maximum width of 0.83m. The case comprises a squared plinth (blue), 0.83m wide and 0.7m deep. On top of this is a rectangular box housing the barometer, measuring 0.56m wide, 0.56m deep and with a height of 1.54m. The box is white, with red panels (1m high, 0.35m wide) on either side, and contains a tall, narrow, glass door (red) to provide access to the barometer. The case is topped with a red decorative moulding 120mm in height, on top of which sits the roof of the case. The roof is blue and pyramidical in form, with gables to the front and sides, and a flat top. It is 0.78m wide, 0.66m deep and 0.4m in height. The top is 300mm wide and 420mm deep.
The barometer is set on the north side of a building to ensure that it is always in shade, in turn enhancing the accuracy of the readings provided. It is reported as being the only surviving example of this type that is still 'read' on a daily basis. It is certainly a rare example of one still contained in its original case, at its original location. It was recorded by the RCAHMW with a photogrammetry survey on 11/06/2024 (link below).
Sources Include:
'Barometers for Lifeboat Stations' in The Life-Boat, Journal of the RNLI, 1860,Vol. 4, issue 38, p336-9 https://rnliarchive.blob.core.windows.net/media/1663/0038.pdf#page=8
Cadw Listed Building 12581: https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=&id=12581
Dyfed Historic Environment Record PRN 20804: https://archwilio.org.uk/her/chi3/report/page.php?watprn=DAT20804
RCAHMW Photogrammetry Survey, 11/06/2024: https://skfb.ly/oWuZQ
J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, June 2024.