Cool English seaside town to reopen beach funicular after 10-year closure

A SEASIDE funicular is set to finally reopen next year – after being closed for a decade. Folkestone’s Leas Lift first opened in 1885, but was forced to close back in 2017. The Folkestone Leas Lift is set to finally reopen Credit: Folkestone Leas Lift The funicular was forced to close back in 2017 Credit: The Folkestone Leas Lift Company Charity / Facebook However, a long campaign has finally see restoration works start, with it planning to reopen by 2027. The £6.6million works will restore the main systems, which connects the top of the cliff to the beach. Sign up for the Travel newsletter Thank you! Not only that but the cafe is also being restored, along with the waiting room and addition of an outdoor terrace. It remains one of the oldest in the UK, and one of just three of its kind left, being a water-balance funicular. Read more on seaside towns It has since carried more than 36million people since it opened. It had hoped to reopen by this summer, although this has since been delayed to next year. But its great new for families visiting the seaside town, as it makes the cliff and beach much more accessible. Chair of the Leas Lift Build Committee Jo Streeter said in regards to works starting: “We wanted to be absolutely sure that as well as getting value for money – which is vital for our funders and supporters – we selected a company that understands what the Lift means to Folkestone.” Most read in Travel The works are expected to cost £6.6million A new cafe is also part of the plans Credit: Folkestone Leas Lift It is set to open by 2017 Folkestone even had two other lifts – The Metropole Lift and the Sandgate Hill Lift – although these no longer exist. And the seaside town has recently surged in popularity, with it being less than an hour from London. It was even named one of the best places to live in the UK. But the Leas Lift is not the only funicular reopening in the UK. Saltburn Tramway recently reopened after an eight month closure. The 142-year-old funicular – the oldest of its kind in the UK – is open to the public with tickets from £1.50 Comment now