One of Scarborough’s most cherished landmarks and the oldest funicular railway in Britain is celebrating a major milestone this summer with a series of events planned to mark its 150th anniversary.
North Yorkshire Council, in partnership with Scarborough Spa, is hosting a free weekend of family activities, live performances and heritage displays on Saturday and Sunday, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Spa Cliff Lift.
Running from 11am to 5pm each day, the celebrations will take place at Scarborough Spa and the lift itself, offering visitors a chance to step back in time while enjoying a full programme of entertainment.
North Yorkshire Council leader, Cllr Carl Les, said:
“The Spa Cliff Lift is a much-loved part of Scarborough’s heritage and a symbol of the town’s Victorian charm.
“We’re proud to support events like this that bring communities together and shine a spotlight on the landmarks that make North Yorkshire so distinctive.”
Built in 1875 at a cost of about £8,000, the Spa Cliff Lift was a marvel of Victorian engineering and quickly became a defining feature of Scarborough’s South Bay. Originally powered by water and gas engines, it has carried millions of passengers between the Esplanade and the Spa over the decades.
Scarborough Spa’s operations manager, Christopher James, said:
"It got changed from being water powered in the late thirties to being electrically powered. And as in, in its heyday in 1945 to the 1946 season, it transported 1.2 million people down to the beach. So for these celebrations this year, we're running a weekend of events. So that's utilizing the spa and the lift.
"We're also hopefully unveiling a plaque dedicated to the scab bike lift. And the celebrations throughout the weekend will involve some community workshops. A bit of history of lifts and the Scarborough fire lift in the ocean room and lots of activities happening throughout the weekend."
The weekend opens with a ceremonial descent by local dignitaries, echoing the lift’s original launch, accompanied by a live brass band. Inside the Ocean Room, visitors can enjoy creative workshops, performances and heritage displays.
A Scarborough-based arts group, Animated Objects, will demonstrate working models of the lifts showing its evolution and artwork by young people inspired by its story will be on show throughout the venue.
Scarborough Spa Cliff Lift’s longest-serving supervisor, Alan Wilson, said:
“I enjoy everything. I enjoy meeting the public. We've got a good crew working here. I enjoy everything about it. I don't want to retire.
"The main thing is that the staffing, we've had some right, good characters and the orchestra crowd come back every year and it's nice to see them, they're all come back and they've got stories to tell.
"And so it's like a family really."
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