Folkestone: Leas Lift carriages to be removed for restoration
Two carriages are to be wrenched off the tracks at Leas Lift by a crane and inspected as part of a restoration project.The 140-year-old Grade II listed funicular in Folkestone, Kent, is to reopen in early 2026 after closing in 2017 due to issues with its breaking system.If weather permits, the work to remove both carriages is to be begin at 10:00 GMT on Thursday, followed by the two bogies with wheels, The Leas Lift Charity said.Work began on the overall restoration on 10 February following a £6.7m fundraising target was met, alongside a £4.8m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Each carriage weighs 1.5 tonnes and the bogies weigh three tonnes each.Along with a 500kg lifting cradle, each lift weighs roughly the equivalent of a baby elephant at 4.5 tonnes, the charity said.The carriages and bogies will be taken to Northamptonshire for approximately six months depending on the amount of restoration work needed.
Apex Contractors were appointed by the charity in 2024 to oversee the work, which will include the excavation of the cliff to extend the station footprint and the repair of the track and carriages.The building company will also replace of the sheave wheel and restore of the pump room and existing buildings.The Leas Lift Charity chief executive, Floortje Hoette, said: "There is still a little way to go, but there will be many key moments and milestones for the public to see."This is a very special place, and we are bringing it back to life."The funicular was built after the extension of the South Eastern Railway in 1843 bought hordes of Victorian visitors to the seaside.Since its opening, the rail lift has carried 36 million people, the charity said.The Leas Lift is one of only four water-balanced lifts in the UK.
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