The story of Folkestone Leas Lift

1. 1885 – the creation of the lift

   The lift is first installed and opened to the public. Amazingly, on its first day alone it carried a whopping 2,389 passengers. It gives passengers easy transport between the Leas promenade on the clifftop and the beach below, and has served an estimated 36.4 million people since its opening.

2. How the lift works

   The lift operates using water and gravity, having been controlled from a small cabin at the top of the cliff. Because of this, it is incredibly energy efficient and has a very small carbon footprint, emitting no pollution and recycling all of the water used to drive the cars.

3. One of only three remaining water-balanced lifts in the UK, it is the last cliff lift in Folkestone. There had previously been two others along the Leas; The Metropole Lift and the Sandgate Hill Lift.

4. May 1991 – The Darling Buds of May

   The classic British TV series The Darling Buds of May from the early 1990s was both set and filmed in Kent. Much of the original series was shot in and around the village of Pluckley.

5. However, one episode in season two saw extensive filming take place in Folkestone across a week at the end of May 1991. Of course, the iconic lift was used for these shoots and plays a prominent role in the episode.

6. June 2009 – first closure

   Folkestone Leas Lift first faced closure in June 2009 when Folkestone and Hythe District Council’s lease ran out and it was decided that the lift was too expensive to run. This was met with sizeable protests from campaigners who demanded the landmark be re-opened.

7. April 2010 – restoration begins

   Following the successful protest campaign, it was announced in April 2010 that the lift was to be restored. Crofton Consulting was appointed as lead consultant for the restoration efforts and the firm won the Building Structures award at the ACE Engineering Excellence Awards in May 2011 as well as the Restoration award at the ICE Engineering Excellence Awards in June 2011 for its work to bring the lift back into use.Extensive corrosion was discovered on the wheel bearings on the lift cars so the wheels were re-machined to provide the correct running profile. Finally, the corroded steelwork support structures within the buried water storage tanks were found to be leaking and so were replaced after inspections.

8. Construction work was headed by G A Harpers and renovations involved replacing the mechanical and electrical wiring and ensuring that all necessary safety standards in the two cars, the control systems and stations, were met. Focus was also given to the restoration of the associated power pumps that control the lift at the top and bottom stations.

9. 2017- second closure

   It didn’t take long for the lift to close once again. In 2017, HSE inspections determined that the condition of the lifts posed a risk to health and safety, and once again, the landmark was forced to close.

10. A sum of £80,000 was raised to conduct the preliminary works required to reinstate the lift, which included a full engineering survey. The Folkestone Leas Lift Company (FLLC) CIO was set up with funding from the Radnor Estate and the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust with an aim to raise funds for the lift’s repairs and to create a long-term plan for its continued use.

11. 2018 – 2023

    In 2018, the lift was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register and has since deteriorated further due to its beachfront location. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, a successful café opened which helped breathe new life into the space.

12. In 2021, the lift received a £320,000 development grant from both the Heritage Fund and the Architectural Fund which has been utilised to further develop plans, including community engagement. More recently, the campaign to restore the lift was boosted with Folkestone & Hythe District Council granting planning permission to build a new, adjoining café which will help secure the long-term financial future of the lift.

13. November 2023 – new opening date set

    Plans to bring the lift back to life saw a huge leap forward in November 2023 with the announcement that the sizeable fundraising target of £6.6 million had been met, thanks to a large injection of cash from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.Just under £1 million was received in Section 106 funding from Folkestone Harbour and Seafront Development Company, £660,000 came from Trusts and Foundations and a further £136,000 from the community, individuals and companies.

14. A sum of £4.8 million in support has been secured from the fund, with a goal to bring Folkestone Leas Lift back into public use in 2025. Overall, £1.8 million has been raised which matches the £4.8 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

15. 2024 and beyond

    Construction of the lift is due to begin in 2024, with an aim to re-open in 2025. Current plans would see the site become an event and community hub.

16. Existing visitor facilities, including the waiting room and ticket office, would be transformed to fit the new purpose, while a glass window would be installed to allow visitors to see inside the actual pump room and look at the machinery and equipment.