Dr Joseph Brennan
DR JOSEPH BRENNAN tells the story of the dramatic railways built on steep gradients and cliff faces
“England’s funiculars mostly hug the coast, and this is no coincidence. The development of the Victorian and Edwardian seaside resort played a central role in the uptake of funicular railways across England.”
Funicular railways take gradients to the extreme, running two cars in counterbalanced, contrary motion over often-perilous cliff inclines. They are a dramatic invention, and certainly one of the more romantic railway concepts.
Such romanticism is revealed in the stories of the Victorians, who travelled in an age when adoption of these railways was widespread. One 1886 story (author unknown) tells of a hero who “scales the spurs of the Alps and the cone of Vesuvius by the aid of […] funicular railways”.
Funiculars arrived as daring adventure propositions - conceived, built and commandeered by those with an iron constitution. Little wonder, therefore, that they are associated today with the dramatipped topographies of the world, off-limits to traditional railways - such those that travel up the Alps.
Britain also had its share of steep ascents to conquer, and so used this transport solution - especially along the coast of England and in Wales (the former is our focus here).
Cable railway systems began appearing around the 1820s, but the funiculars - defined as two counterbalanced cars, propelled by the weight of each other - arrived in the 1860s in Lyon, France.
Britain’s first funicular railways arrived in Scarborough in the 1870s. We start there and then commence a tour of England, tracing the development, history and preservation efforts of each. Along the way, we take in some of the finest scenery in the country.
England’s funiculars mostly hug the coast, and this is no coincidence. The development of the Victorian and Edwardian seaside resort played a central role in the uptake of funicular railways across England.
East Hill Cliff Railway at Hastings is the steepest in Britain, while examples at Bournemouth, Folkestone, Torquay and Saltburn-by-the-Sea all served as a vital means of transporting wealthy holidaymakers to England’s beaches, promenades, grand hotels and pleasure piers. And they continue to operate as heritage treasures today - often under the propulsion of enthusiasts, operators and councils working in concert.
On our tour we will also uncover some lesser-known station destinations, such as castle ruins at Bridgnorth and Hastings, together with some hidden historical gems - such as the Clifton Rocks Railway in Bristol, an underground funicular that cut through the limestone cliffs to deliver passengers from the clifftop at Clifton to the base of the Avon Gorge at Hotwells and Bristol Harbour.
Scarborough start
As Britain’s first seaside resort, it is fitting that Scarborough in north Yorkshire would also play host to the country’s first funicular railway.
It was spa waters that turned around Scarborough’s fortunes, following its near complete ruination in the 1640s as a key battleground in the English Civil War. In particular, Dr Robert Wittie’s Scarborough
Spaw (1660) led to its revitalisation, inspiring a torrent of wealthy Londoners to descend on the town in the decades, and indeed centuries, to follow.
When trains arrived in 1845 via the Scarborough-York Railway, the train journey to the town prepared visitors for what they would experience there. En route, speed was secondary to scenery.
This characteristic of the trip was more a consequence of frugalness than an intended outcome. The York & North Midland Railway chose to meander the line along the River Derwent, rather than construct a costly tunnel
through the Howardian Hills - although the effect remains the same on the visitor, lending their journey to the town a slower, more restful pace.
As a resort town, Scarborough is a dramatic proposition. It rises steeply from its harbour, north and westwards up limestone cliffs, atop which many of its landmarks are situated. Funicular railways were designed to overcome such drama of topography, and Scarborough is testament to this, boasting five such railways over its history.
Principally, funicular railways offer a provision for transporting patrons over the steepest of inclines, often ensuring ease of access to (for example) the sea or promenade, and back to town centres.
South Cliff Lift was Britain’s first funicular, opening in 1875. Appropriate to the town and to the functions of funiculars, it was constructed to link the South Cliff Esplanade to The Spa more than 280 feet below (an
18th century, Grade 2*-listed complex built to enclose the source of the resort’s spa waters).
It was constructed using a 4ft 8½in (standard gauge) track with each car carrying 28 seated passengers between them on a 1-in-1.75 gradient. Its two Crossley gas engines were seawater pump-powered through a hydraulic system, although steam pumps replaced its gas engines in 1879.
Hudswell Clarke & Company replaced its cars in the 1930s, and in 1993 the funicular was purchased by the Scarborough Borough Council, which has safeguarded its future. It was made fully automatic in 1997 and runs daily throughout the summer for a small fee.
Following the success at South Cliff, the Scarborough Queen’s Parade Tramway Company Limited was formed in 1878 with a brief to achieve similar success, this time from the town’s North Cliff to its 1,000ft Eugenius Birch-designed North Pier (now lost).
Queens Parade Cliff Lift was the result, opening that same year but lasting less than a decade. More than 280 feet long at a gradient of 1-in-2.5, it was beset by problems from day one. Its woes started with a cabin breaking loose on its opening day, followed by accidents every year of its operation. A landslide consigned it to history in 1887.
Funiculars often also opened up access to clifftop attractions, of which Scarborough has many. Principal among the Scarborough attractions serviced by funiculars is the magnificent Grade 2* Grand Hotel, probably the most significant of Britain’s many palacesby-the-sea (it was even earmarked by Hitler for an actual palace-conversion in his plans for occupied Britain).
The hotel opened in 1867 as the largest brick structure in Europe. Such was its significance and popularity that two funiculars then sprung up to flank it: Central Tramway and the St Nicholas Cliff Lift.
Central was built in only six months, opening in August 1881 and still going strong today under the custodianship of its founding company. In fact, the Central Tramway Company is Britain’s oldest surviving cliff tramway company. Forty-eight years later, St Nicholas opened at the Grand’s other side.
Central was originally powered by steam, before going electric in 1910. In the 1930s, its cars were replaced and the driving deck was relocated to the top of the station, allowing for full view of the cars - previously, drivers had needed to rely on rope markings for car positions. Its track is more than 230ft, also standard gauge, and runs on a 1-in-2 gradient. It is open daily, and a single fare is £1.20.
St Nicholas had a 7ft 6in gauge and ran more than 100ft on a 1-in-1.33 gradient. Lack of council funds for necessary health and safety upgrades led to its closure in 2007.
Its cars have since been fixed in the top track position and form part of a cafe in which visitors can sit (St Nicholas Cafe), while the lower station was converted to an ice cream parlour ( The Seastrand, now closed).
Scarborough’s youngest funicular, North
Bay Cliff Lift, arrived in 1930. At more than 160ft with a 6ft 6in gauge, it operated electricpowered cars. It closed in 1996 and was subsequently dismantled. It now sits in storage in Cornwall, awaiting an intrepid restoration committee to take it on.
Scenic slopes
Scarborough’s five funiculars helped to make the rugged town more accessible, as well as more enjoyable (and thrilling) to traverse, for visitors and locals alike.
But sometimes funiculars served a more principal railway function - to get passengers between towns, travelling from A to B. And when A and B happen to be separated by a sheer cliff face, funiculars are a logical choice. This was the case with Lynton and Lynmouth in north Devon.
By the 1880s, the pretty harbour village of Lynmouth was enjoying an influx of holidaymakers brought by paddle steamers from the likes of Bristol and Swansea.
But the village’s growth was curbed by the cliffs that restricted onward exploration for visitors, while goods such as coal and lime, which had arrived by water, were being transported up the severe incline to the town of Lynton by horse and cart.
George Marks spearheaded the project to solve this problem with a funicular, and work on the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway (L&LCR) began in 1887.
Marks went on to establish a name for himself in the development of cliff railways and steep incline tramcar systems, with the Matlock Cable Tramway in Derbyshire (1893) and Swansea Constitution Hill Incline Railway in Wales (1896-98) among his accomplishments (although both are now lost).
The L&LCR opened on Easter Monday 1890, and although it initially devoted itself mostly to goods transport, this was soon outstripped by its popularity with tourists and it turned itself over to this passenger and sightseer service - a service that is still going strong today.
At an elevation of 500ft and with more than 860ft of steep track, it holds the distinction of being the world’s highest and steepest fully water-powered railway - one of only three remaining examples. It opens daily from 1100, is dog-friendly, and boasts a clifftop cafe with unparalleled views across the coast.
For those with less of a head for heights, the Shipley Glen Tramway offers a rare, gentler scenic journey.
The lower station for this funicular is only 660ft from Saltaire railway station in
West Yorkshire. Opened in 1895 by local entrepreneur Sam Wilson, the medium
(1-in-7) gradient line was designed to ease access to Shipley Glen attractions that (at the time) included a toboggan ride and fairground.
These attractions have all now folded into the pages of local history, but a team of volunteer staff keep the more than 1,310ft line running for lovers of historic railways
- on Sundays and Saturdays from March 31-January 18.
But as pleasant as the woods of Shipley
Glen may be, those in search of England’s funiculars are best advised to stick with the coast - and its craggy resort towns especially, where ‘funicular’ has become synonymous with family seaside fun.
Seaside staples
After Scarborough, Bournemouth (with three) holds the record for the most funiculars in a British town, although it didn’t start getting scores on the board until the reign of Edward VII.
When Bournemouth began laying track, it splashed onto the scene in style, launching two in 1908 with the East Cliff and West Cliff Lifts. Both connected promenaders with the beach, at extreme ends of the town. And as a marker of the Edwardians, both embody the pleasure principle and have (in my view) a certain bucket-n-spade frivolity to them.
Both were constructed by the Bournemouth Corporation and opened within four months of each other, with East Cliff coming first.
They are modest in comparison with other funiculars, which no doubt explains why the popular seaside resort managed without the need for funiculars for so long. They were, in other words, very much an indulgent ‘lift’ for the leisure-loving Edwardians down bracken slopes to the sand.
East Cliff is the longer at 170ft (compared with West Cliff’s 145ft). But I find West Cliff to be the more refined of the two, especially for the contemporary beach rambler, with a raked headland to traverse and more handsome cliff-top buildings and colourful sand-top huts as backdrops.
Bournemouth’s third funicular - Fisherman’s Walk Cliff Railway - is further afield in the suburb of Southbourne. Another Bournemouth Corporation construction, it opened in 1935 (with a more ‘thirties-functional’ look) and holds the dubious distinction of being the world’s shortest funicular at just 128ft - a faint twinkle in the twilight years of England’s seaside resorts.
Remarkably, all three have survived and were running before COVID-19 disruptions - save for East Cliff, which after being put out of action by a 2016 landslide, was still undergoing repairs at time of writing.
Uniquely, Hastings’ two funiculars were not built to deliver leisure seekers to England’s restorative salt-waters, but across difficult-toramble terrain to other attractions.
West Hill Cliff Railway came first. Opened by the Hastings Lift Company in 1891, construction had commenced in 1889 before being delayed by local opposition and an overrun of costs, which ultimately led to the company’s collapse in 1894.
Probably the most stylish of the High Victorian funiculars, West Hill transports visitors 500ft from fashionable George Street to St Clement’s Caves (and today, the Smugglers Adventure attraction) and Hastings Castle - doing it in a tunnel for most of the way.
It is now owned by the Hastings Borough Council, which marked its centenary year with a full restoration. It runs regularly throughout the year for a small passenger fee.
East Hill Cliff Railway is also council-owned and operated (and built). It opened in 1902 using the water-balance principle (the water tanks were once stored in the two towers of its top station), although it was converted to electric in the 1970s, when it also received car replacements. It provides access to Hastings County Park along its line of more than 260ft, and with a 78% gradient it is Britain’s steepest funicular.
Staying on the South Coast, we travel next to Torquay in Devon - to the Babbacombe Cliff Railway, which opened in 1926 to link the Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach via a 720-foot track.
Its stations are not as attractive as others on our tour, although there is a functional beauty in its clean lines and the red brick pedestal of its bottom station, plus it boosts some spectacular scenery. It remains open and running today - although it’s best to check times ahead of your visit.
In Kent, lies Leas Lift at Folkestone, opened in 1885. It narrowly escaped closure in the current century, saved by community campaigning. However, it was closed in
2017 after the Health and Safety Executive ruled that a secondary braking system was necessary. It was still closed at the time of writing, although groundswell remains for getting it back up and running. It holds a Grade 2* listing.
Our final seaside stop takes us north to my personal favourite - the Saltburn Cliff Lift at Saltburn-by-the-Sea.
More so than most of England’s seaside resorts, Saltburn was built by the railways. It is little wonder, therefore, that it would host some of Britain’s finest examples of Victorian railway engineering, with its funicular among the town’s key survivors.
Opened in 1884, Saltburn Cliff Lift provides access from the town to the seafront and the 680ft Saltburn Pier, which dates from 1869. It is Britain’s oldest water-balance cliff lift still in operation. I like the way it carries passengers down the cliff and onto the pier (at one time for outward travel) like a titanic waterslide, projecting patrons into the sea.
The funicular replaced a Cliff Hoist that had opened in 1870 under the direction of the Saltburn Pier Company, but which was condemned in 1883 following an independent inspection that found rotten timbers.
The hoist’s new owners gave the job of its replacement to Sir Richard Tangye, whose company had proved its mettle working on Scarborough’s (and Britain’s) first funicular. George Marks, who went on to spearhead
L&LCR, was appointed as engineer.
As a testament to the strength of Marks’ design principles, little of the lift’s mechanism has been changed since its original installation in 1884.
Most of the changes have been superficial. For example, the cars originally featured stained glass windows, although these were replaced with plain glass in 1955 before then being reinstated in 1991.
There have also been a number of refurbishments to the cars over the line’s history. The most tasteful of these was undertaken in 2011, when the cars were restored in keeping with a Victorian aesthetic, while the upper and lower stations underwent similar in-keeping restorative work in 2014. It has benefited from further restorations since.
The Saltburn Cliff Lift serves as an exemplar of how to balance preservation with functionality of our funiculars, keeping them safe and in working order, but done through a sensitivity to the elements of form that have made them endure as landmarks of English seaside pleasure.
Sideline sights
Although our focus has been on the seaside, and on the funiculars found there serving as key cogs in the typology of English seaside fun, it was not only to the shores that these lines carried leisure seekers - for example, the West Hill Cliff Railway at Hastings ascends to older marvels of engineering, namely castle ruins.
Another funicular with castle ruins as its destination, this time from England’s interior, is Bridgnorth Cliff Railway in Shropshire
(also known as the ‘Castle Hill Railway’, and another George Marks creation).
The scenic town sits on the River Severn, and its funicular has carried passengers from the Low to High Town since 1892, with its top station delivering patrons close to the ruins of Bridgnorth Castle, which date from 1101. Bridgnorth is Britain’s oldest and steepest inland electric funicular and runs year-round.
As this interior example shows, the functions of England’s funiculars were varied, with some hidden gems.
These include underground funiculars such as Marks’ Clifton Rocks Railway in Bristol, opened in 1893 and which cut through the limestone cliffs to deliver passengers from the clifftop Clifton Grand Spa to the base of the Avon Gorge at Hotwells and Bristol Harbour.
Clifton Rocks was one of four British funiculars built to the same basic design (the others were at Bridgnorth, Lynton and Lynmouth, and Aberystwyth). Clifton Rocks ceased operation in 1934 but went on to serve the war effort, acting as a secret transmission base for the BBC.
Today, the Clifton Rocks Railway Trust is in charge of its history and preservation and runs top station and open day tours of the site. I found it a perfect way to take in the nearby Brunel marvel the Clifton Suspension Bridge, followed by a walk along Brunel’s docks to the Brunel Museum, where his SS Great Britain stands as a fine example of salvage and the restoration of our engineering past.
Clifton Rocks reminds me of Broadstairs Cliff Railway in Kent, which was a more surprising Edwardian railway. More of a cliff ‘lift’ than strictly a funicular, it was the steepest tunnelled lift for many years, carrying 12 passengers in a single car completely enclosed in a cliff along a track of more than 120 feet.
Inclined elevators or ‘cliff lifts’ are a close cousin of the funicular (sometimes with a single car), and many might consider these cousins so similar in the non-specialist psyche as to warrant their grouping together.
Yet we should distinguish them, although I also choose to include one variant on our tour to recognise the role that funicular-aligned railways played in the wider project of clifframbling by rail.
Broadstairs Cliff Railway was built by
Messrs Waygood and Company in 1910, to a concrete-weight counterbalance concept, and it stayed in operation until 1991, when its owner could no longer afford its upkeep. Attempts to restore it did not come to fruition, and its upper station has since been built over.
Other English cliff lifts can be found in Margate and Southend-on-Sea. The former suffered similar closure and cover-over, while the latter survives and operates today.
In 2019, Joseph Brennan (uncanny, but no relation) embarked on an enviable project of visiting, photographing and writing a history of all of Britain’s funiculars (it’s a good read: columbia.edu/~brennan/fun).
Brennan captures the spirit of exploring and enjoying these railways that has also propelled this tour.
Funiculars fascinate me because the passion to preserve them, in comparison to other examples of Victorian rail, speaks to their place at the heart of a love for quintessential English in-the-sun fun, held by Britons and explorers of these shores akin.