Leas Lift Renovation – Steps closer to reopening

Folkestone is home to one of three surviving Victorian, funicular, water lifts in the UK.  The Leas Lift is of national and local importance, and is inching closer to reopening with the return of its two carriages after their extensive 18 month renovation works.

The Lift was closed in 2017 due to safety reasons.  Since then a team of volunteers has worked tirelessly to raise much needed funds to get it up and running again.  The team have been successful in raising £6.7 million, including a £4.8m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.  These funds are for the renovation as well as employing community engagement staff helping to show the public just how important this piece of engineering is.

Cathy Beare, Chair of Trustees of the Folkestone Leas Lift Company Charity, said: “Seeing the carriages return to Folkestone is a hugely significant moment. They are such an important part of the Lift’s identity and have been carefully rebuilt so they can continue to be enjoyed by future generations. It’s wonderful to see another major piece of this historic landmark back where it belongs.”

Jo Streeter, Interim Chief Executive of the Folkestone Leas Lift Company Charity, said: “A great deal of specialist work has gone into the carriages, and the quality of the finished result is fantastic. They’ve been rebuilt with long-term durability in mind, alongside the safety and accessibility improvements needed for the Lift’s future operation.

“Having the carriages back on the track is a very visible sign of the progress being made. There’s still important work ahead, including mechanical installation, testing and commissioning, but this is another big step towards welcoming passengers back.”

renovating the carriages

The carriages were removed in February 2025 and have undergone an extensive rebuild in Lincolnshire.  The specialist engineers Rapid Consulting have restored the carriages with their long-term future in mind.  Each carriage weighs 4.5 tonnes and was lifted into place in two parts – the 3-tonne bogie and wheels, followed by the 1.5-tonne chassis. The focus on improvements to safety, durability and accessibility, while retaining their familiar historic character is vital to all elements of this project.

When the carriages arrived in Lincolnshire, their timber tops were removed and the condition of the internal structures were examined.  These carriages weren’t original to the LIft, and had been poorly constructed using softwood.  The renovation required Listed Building Consent so that new hardwood window frames embedded within a steel frame could be built.  These will provide greater structural integrity to the carriages.  There are also new floors, ceilings, control system and intercom. New wheels were also required following testing. Throughout, the original ironmongery has been retained, keeping the carriages’ familiar appearance, and the original seats have been reused – with some adapted to fold away to improve accessibility for wheelchair and pushchair users. Each carriage carries approximately 12 people, depending on passenger type.

work continues

Apex Contractors were appointed in 2024 to oversee the renovations. Mark Parmenter, Operations Director at Apex Contractors, said: “The arrival and installation of the new carriages is one of the most significant stages in the restoration of The Leas Lift and a real milestone for everyone involved. It’s incredibly rewarding to see months of planning, craftsmanship and collaboration turning into visible progress on site. As a local contractor, we’re particularly proud to be playing a role in restoring one of the UK’s few historic, water-balanced lifts, building on the ingenuity of the original Victorian engineers and helping secure the future of this remarkable landmark for residents and visitors alike.”

more funding

The carriage restoration has been supported financially by the Rochester Bridge Trust. Nicola Parks, Director of Charitable Projects at Rochester Bridge Trust said: “Rochester Bridge Trust is pleased to have supported the restoration of one of the Leas Lift carriages through a £25,000 grant. The completion of this work represents an important step towards bringing this Grade II listed funicular railway back into operation, preserving a cherished local landmark and an outstanding example of Victorian engineering.”

As the works get underway, the charity realises just how far they have come – £6.7 million raised on what is now a £6.9 million budget – since volunteers came together following the closure of the Lift in 2017 to fundraise 80K to repair the brake system.

Besides the National Lottery Hertiage Fund grant,  The Lift has received £1.8 million in match-funding with just under £1 million in Section 106 funding allocated by the Folkestone Harbour and Seafront Development Company (FHSDC) over the last 6 years.  In addition, expert support has been gifted by the FHSDC in terms of engineers and advisors to help plan the renovation work needed.

humbling experience

‘It’s quite humbling to realise that so many people want to see the Lift working again, and will give so much to see that happen. FHSDC’s support played a key part in unlocking the Heritage Fund grant, and we are very grateful for it’, says Cathy Beare, Chair of the Folkestone Leas Lift Company Charity , speaking to Folkelife about the responsibility that comes with undertaking such a complex and costly project:

“It’s wonderful to have been recognised by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.  It is also a lot of money which we want to spend well. We need to make sure we make the right decisions with regards to restoring this community asset.  A whole host of experts – architects, quantity surveyors, heritage engineers, planners, solicitors, insurers – have been employed by us in past years.  Alongside this, we have also had a lot of voluntary support.  Our trustees are all giving their time for free and have put in an enormous amount of hours to date.”  

community engagement

Since the start of 2024, the team has been working with the community to show why the Leas Lift is important to our heritage, and how it will benefit them as well as the town.  The Community Engagement Manager Yaz Norris is building invaluable relations with community groups to make sure everyone feels welcome at the Lift once it re-opens.

“We have an 86 page document outlining our community commitment.  There are education trips, workshops, information boards, you name it, we’ve got it planned.  It’s pretty comprehensive.”

There is plenty of nostalgia around the Leas Lift and holiday memories of years gone by.  Local fundraising has also helped generate funds needed for the renovation of the Lift.  Cathy Beare continues:

“It’s an overwhelmingly positive response we get to the Lift when you talk to local people.  This is clearly a national treasure because of its rarity, but it’s a very important local treasure.  In recent history people would travel on it for the cost of £1 or something like that.  Now, in order for us to make this a sustainable project we need people to ride on it when it’s open.  And keep on riding on it!  We’ve had such a good response from people wanting to see it open again.  Now we need them to keep visiting and using this link from the top of the Leas to the seafront.”

visitors from far and wide

“This Lift has a far-reaching band of followers.  I was there one day recently when a family from Australia were walking past.  They’d come to the UK and made a special trip to see the Leas Lift.  It’s not only loved by those of us in the town, its pull is much greater than that. 

“I can remember my first visit to the Lift. My husband was so excited to take me on it – he’s an engineer – I thought we were going somewhere, when in reality it stopped at the bottom to a huge, horrible concrete standing and not much else! I am very much looking forward to improving the customer experience”

Victorian engineering

The Victorians engineered the funicular water lift to connect the upper promenade area of the Leas to the lower seafront, step-free access.  There were originally 3 lifts along the cliffs; the existing one, one in front of The Metropole Hotel, and a further lift in Sandgate.  The surviving lift is fondly remembered by residents and many would love to see it in use again.

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to support the restoration of this rare surviving water lift, returning this beautiful and remarkable example of Victorian engineering to its original use connecting seafront and town.  It will also create an anchor and sense of place and connection for the local Folkestone community and visitors.  This community-led scheme absolutely delivers our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.” 

Folkelife met Engineering Director, Edwin Wealend, to find out what work needs to be done in order to get the lift operating again.

World’s slowest white-knuckle ride

“The Leas Lift has a rather complex, but fascinating braking system.  There are four different fail-safes; in case the cable should snap, there’s an ingenious clamping system, and there’s another device for over-speed and so on.  It’s a joke, but people used to call the Leas Lift the world’s slowest white-knuckle ride!  Anyone who’s been on the lift will know just how steep it is, and how important it is that these brakes work.  The Lift closed in early 2017 when the Health and Safety Executive deemed these brakes unsafe.  The amount of money initially thought needed to fix them was too much for the previous group of volunteers to raise.  They did a fantastic job in keeping the lift open and repairing what they could, but this was the last straw.  

“There is a new group of trustees in place who hold a wealth of expertise in engineering, heritage and renovation.  One of the things we will have to do is replace the braking system.  We need to preserve what’s there and also install the most discrete brakes making the Lift comply with current regulations.  ACME; architects for the seafront development are working on plans to expand the footprint of the Lift site. This will aid sustainability and support us through the planning stages.”  

getting to the bare bones

“We need to strip down many parts of the lift to find out their current state, in order to find out what needs repairing. To do this, we will have removed the carriages from the tracks so we can inspect them in detail.  We need to work on the braking system, the tracks and also the wheel that controls the carriages.  We can only inspect them properly by removing them from the site.”

carbon neutral transport

“This was cutting edge technology back in 1885 when it was built.  And actually, it’s cutting edge today.  It’s so simple: there are water tanks which fill up and translate the weight of the passengers so that the lift goes down hill.  You can see where the tanks are if you’re on the top of the Leas in the summer.  They’re just underground, so if it’s a dry year, the grass gets browner here first. 

“The lift survived for so long because of the will of the volunteers who ran it.  We will be making it accessible for wheelchair users.  We also need to work out a way that makes it accessible for all members of our community regardless of wealth.  But we aim to see this as a community asset for years to come.”

Countdown until re-opening

Cathy explains that the restoration of the Leas Lift will continue throughout 2026, with its re-opening planned for 2027. The extension of the old ticket hall at the Lower Leas site gives space for a new café and museum which will bring in additional income.

The original buildings, engineering infrastructure, rail tracks and water tanks will be brought back to their former glory, and a wide ramp will be added to the upper station to make the Lift accessible to all. The next stage of work will see the Lift’s new sheave wheel installed, as the charity continues to work towards reopening to the public in spring 2027.

“We are keeping the public up to date with any developments through our social media channels and monthly newsletter, to which you can subscribe on our website. Fundraising is continuing as we need the community support for this project to work.”

The Grade II* listed funicular first opened in 1885 and, once restored, will be one of only three remaining water-balanced lifts in the country.