Eastcliff Lift

Details

1413/0/10037 HARBOUR PARADE 01-JUN-07 RAMSGATE EASTCLIFF LIFT

GV II Cliff lift, 1910 with late-C20 restoration. The shaft is built of red brick, with concrete plaque, cornice, pilasters and architraves. The top entrance has a tiled surround and is surmounted by a lead covered dome. Lower entrance rebuilt in late-C20.

PLAN: The lift shaft is square in plan, rising from the bottom of the cliff to single storey height above the cliff top. At the bottom and on the seaward side of the shaft, a rebuilt single-storey rectangular building contains the lower entrance.

EXTERIOR: The lift tower is set against the cliff face to the north-west, with its south-west elevation abutting the end house of Kent Terrace, listed at Grade II. Its front, seaward elevation has four sash windows one above the other in the length of the shaft, the top, tripartite window lighting the entrance to the lift. These reflect the domestic architecture of the terrace. All four sides of the top are framed by moulded concrete cornices and pilasters. On its north-east face is an ornate concrete plaque with relief decoration depicting a dolphin, and the word 'LIFT'. The entrance has a tiled surround: above the door the word 'LIFT' appears again, formed from red tiles on a white ground, while the side panels have red tiles below red, green and white tiles with an art nouveau floral design. The entrance is surmounted by a lead covered dome carrying a weather vane. The tiles covering the approach to the entrance were added when the lift was renovated in 1999.

The lower entrance is in the front elevation of the single storey red brick building joined to the base of the shaft and much of this was rebuilt in the late C20. It has double doors above which the word 'lift' appears again in red tiles on a white ground, set within a moulded concrete architrave. The other half of this building contains a shop front. Although sensitively done to incorporate features that might be original, this is not of special interest

INTERIOR: Not inspected.

HISTORY: East Cliff or Harbour Lift was built in 1910, the second of three lifts in Ramsgate, but now the older of the two that survive. The earliest, the Marina Lift, which was built in 1908 further to the north on the East Cliff, was demolished after falling into disrepair. The West Cliff Lift was built in 1926: probably designed by Sir John Burnet and Partners, this is listed at Grade II.

At the height of the Victorian and Edwardian fashion for the seaside there was great competition between resorts to offer the best amenities. One of these was a cliff railway or lift to provide quick and easy transit for holidaymakers between the town and its hotels or boarding houses and the beach. In addition to this, East Cliff Lift provided direct transport for passengers between the town and the station. Initially a private enterprise, East Cliff Lift was bought by Ramsgate Borough Council in 1919. In the 1950s there were problems when cracks developed in the brick shaft. A steel tower was erected within the shaft, and the single car, which originally carried 20 passengers, was replaced with a smaller car which carried only 16. The lift ceased operations in the 1990s, and the structure subsequently fell into disrepair. In 1999 it was restored as part of a seafront regeneration scheme, and re-opened in April of that year. The renovation of the lift and its superstructure included the replacement of the lift mechanism, and of some of the fabric of the surrounding structure. The tiles around the upper entrance were replaced, and the lower entrance was refurbished, and its front elevation slightly altered.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: East Cliff Lift, built in 1910 is one of only five of this rare type of seaside structure which remain open to the public, and is of interest both locally and nationally as part of the history of the development of seaside resorts. Designed for display as well as function, it was prominently placed to draw customers from the town, beach and railway station. It also has group value with the Grade II listed Wellington Crescent and Kent Terrace. The rebuilt lower entrance is not of special interest but the architectural tower, in this context, clearly is.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

502468

Legacy System:

LBS

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