The charity still describes restoration as underway and reopening as a future event on 7 October 2026. No passenger service is confirmed. Stay outside the worksite and check for a formal opening announcement or authorised event.
Check the official visitor information ↗ · checked 2026-10-07
Use public paths and visitor areas. Do not enter unstaffed tunnels, shafts, railway land or restricted property.
Advice before you visitInformation checked 2026-10-07. Existing historical desk research supplemented by fresh published operator and council visitor checks on 7 October 2026. No site visit or direct operator confirmation.
The story of this place
The Leas Lift opened in 1885 to connect the clifftop with the lower promenade. Two cars were joined by a cable. Adding water to the upper car’s tank made it heavier, allowing it to descend and pull the other car uphill.
Historic England records the machinery and supporting buildings as well as the tracks. Pumps, tanks, waiting rooms and controls all played a part. A second lift was added in 1890 and later removed.
What you can see
The lift’s story is about controlling gravity through water and machinery. The equipment at the upper and lower levels formed one transport system, rather than two independent carriages.
The charity still describes restoration as underway and reopening as a future event on 7 October 2026. No passenger service is confirmed. Stay outside the worksite and check for a formal opening announcement or authorised event.
What we still need to check
Older project pages give target dates, but the current homepage still says reopening is to come. We have not treated a target date as an actual opening.
Sources for the visiting information
- Folkestone Leas Lift Company CIO — restoration and visitor status ↗ · reviewed 2026-10-07
About the original record
This place is recorded by Historic England / Planning Data. The details below include the original description of its building or site type.
Place details
- Category
- Industrial relics
- Building or site type (original wording)
- The Leas Lift, including waiting rooms, pump room, lower station tanks, track, cars, wheel houses, tank room, upper station tunnel and railings
- Period or date
- Opened 1885; additional lift 1890
- Current condition
- Not checked in person
- Heritage protection
- II*
- Date protection was granted
- 1989-04-28
- Nearby town
- Folkestone (approximate)
- County named in the original record
- Kent
- Current county or council area
- Kent
- Nation
- England
- Original record number
- 1061185
- Coordinates
- 51.077072, 1.178547 (reference point, not an entrance)
- Heritage data checked
- 2026-09-13
- Source last updated
- 2016-06-27
- Visitor information checked
- 2026-10-07
We checked the downloaded heritage record on 2026-09-13. We have not visited or inspected the site. The map point may refer to a whole site, one structure or a location where little remains.