Scarborough's Central Tramway Celebrates 140 years with Exhibition

The history of Scarborough's five Funicular Railways is the subject of a new celebratory exhibition in the town.

Scarborough's Central Tramway will be celebrating it's 140th birthday in August and today a new exhibition exploring the history of funicular railways in the town opens at Scarborough Library.

Amy Bartle is from Central Tramway:

It was at midday on the 1st of August 1881 that the first journey of the Central Tramway Company, Scarborough was taken. This summer the cliff railway is marking 140 years of service with events and celebrations. The well-loved amenity and attraction, located next to the Grand Hotel, continues to be popular today welcoming 500,000 passengers each year through its historic turnstiles.

Amy says there is a lot of interest in the town's five funicular railways:

The exhibition is telling the story of Scarborough’s five historic funicular railways, as well as Central Tramway’s unique history and engineering. The Library is open Monday-Saturday. Visitors will also be invited to share their memories and experiences of Scarborough’s cliff railways in a special memory book for the event.

Family owned since the 1960s, the business has invested £800,000 over the last decade to upgrade and improve much of the machinery and vital infrastructure.

Chairman of the Central Tramway, Neil Purshouse said :

“We’re proud to be continuing Scarborough’s funicular heritage, It’s been a very difficult year for all Scarborough’s tourist attractions and businesses, so it’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate this landmark with our friends and visitors. It’s also a great opportunity to share the story of the funicular with the support of our friends at Scarborough Library and Scarborough Museums Trust, this includes some of the new technology that we have introduced that might surprise some of our visitors. We’re continuing the legacy of technological innovation that the Victorian’s began in Scarborough over 140 years ago.”

The cliff railway was the third to be built in Scarborough after the Spa Lift and short-lived Queen’s Parade Lift on the North Bay. Today, it has the unique distinction of being the oldest surviving tramway company, as the original corporation that was formed in 1881 still owns and operates the business today.

President of the Scarborough and District Civic Society, Adrian Perry said;

“It is a pleasure and a privilege to see this essential transport link down to the beach, and the Civic Society appreciates the care given to maintaining this delightful part of Scarborough’s history. The attractive top station is an excellent example of Victorian design, which enhances its primary function of carrying the Scarborough public and visiting holiday makers between the town centre and the beach. This is a credit to Victorian engineering, much of which remains intact today. Using the traditional livery and signage the company are not only keeping one of Scarborough’s historic amenities operational they also demonstrate the strong appeal the service still holds for today’s users.”

Janet Deacon, Scarborough Borough Council Tourism and Culture Manager said:



“The Central Tramway is a much loved attraction, enjoyed by many generations of families who live in Scarborough and visit each year, as well as those who discover it for the first time.”

“For fourteen decades it has stood the test of time, constantly renewing itself to meet the expectations of each new generation, but without losing the tradition and special charm that is key to its success.”

Full details about the events and celebrations can be found at www.centraltramway.co.uk/anniversary.