page_title: Saltburn Cliff Lift
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Saltburn Cliff Lift / Cliff lift 1884–present / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Cliff Railway, Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland. Founded in 1861 by the entrepreneur Henry Pease, the town sports the most splendid Victorian architecture, one representative being this fine cliff railway (1884), the oldest remaining waterbalance example in Britain (height of the lift is 120 ft, length of the track is 207 ft). Refurbished with stained glass windows, the railway links Saltburn pier with the town.
context_page_description: The Saltburn Cliff Lift is a funicular railway in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It provides access to Saltburn Pier and the seafront from the town. The cliff lift is the oldest operating water-balance cliff lift in the United Kingdom.
  Saltburn Cliff Lift was constructed between 1883 and 1884 to replace a vertical cliff hoist, designed by John Anderson, which was used to transport passengers up and down the steep north-facing cliff between the town and the pier. It improved access for tourists to the seafront and beach. Designed by George Croydon Marks for the manufacturer Richard Tangye, the cliff lift has a height of 120 feet and a track length of 207 feet, resulting 71 per cent incline. A pair of 12-person cars, each fitted with a 240-imperial-gallon water tank, run on parallel standard gauge tracks; by removing or adding the water to their tanks, movement is achieved, regulated by a brakeman at the top.
  The lift opened on Saturday 28 June 1884.
context_section_description: Following the sale of Saltburn Pier Company to the Middlesbrough Estate in August 1883, the new owners commissioned an inspection of the Cliff Hoist by independent engineers. The inspection led to the structure being condemned because of rotten timbers. The lift had developed a tendency to stop halfway demonstrating its unreliability. It was demolished in late 1883.
  The owners commissioned Sir Richard Tangye's company, who had built the earlier Scarborough funiculars, two vertically-inclined water-powered funicular railways, to build a replacement. Tangye appointed the engineer George Croydon Marks as the head of the lift department and he took charge of the design and installation at Saltburn. Marks designed and constructed the funicular with a height of 120 feet (37 m) and a track length of 207 feet (63 m), resulting in a 71 per cent incline.
  Elements of the Saltburn Cliff Lift were sourced from multiple companies. Most of the machinery was provided from Tangye, the cars were fabricated by the Birmingham-based rolling stock manufacturer Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, and the gas-powered water pump was produced by Manchester-based engineering firm Crossley Brothers.
caption: The lower station of the Saltburn Cliff Lift
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