We’re proud to announce that IES is working in collaboration with Rapid Consulting Engineers and Folkestone Leas Lift Company CIO to upgrade the electrical control systems of the Folkestone Cliff Lift.
As part of a wider overhaul, our teams are focused on delivering a modern, safe, and reliable control solution that respects the historic significance of this iconic piece of engineering.

Folkestone Leas Lift Company CIO (registered charity number 1197324) is undertaking a £6.9 million transformative project to repair and conserve the Grade II* listed Leas Lift cliff funicular railway in Folkestone, and educate, inspire, engage and serve the local community through a vibrant and varied programme of activities. This project, supported by the NLHF, is not only important to Folkestone but has a significance on a national scale, being one of only three remaining water balance lifts in the UK.
The Lift is at the heart of Folkestone and is much loved by the community. However, it has been closed since 2017 and has since been put on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. In 2018 a new Leas Lift CIC was established to fundraise for the restoration of the Lift and bring it back to use with 21st century facilities. To aid fundraising, the Leas Lift CIC officially became the Folkestone Leas Lift Company CIO in January 2022.
This project will result in:
• The restoration of the Lift cars, waiting rooms, pump rooms, tanks, track, wheelhouses, sheave wheel and upper station tunnel and railways, and re-open the Lift to the public by meeting the requirements of the Health and Safety Executive and the Mining Inspectorate;
• All risks to the fabric of the Lift addressed and its removal from the Heritage at Risk Register;
• Making the upper and lower Lift stations accessible with repairs and capital works undertaken to create a warm and welcoming visitor space with waiting rooms, a café, information desk, ticketing, outdoor seating and WCs;
• An oral history and ‘memories’ project to inform interpretative displays telling the stories of the Lift;
• A programme of heritage engagement activities through outreach and on-site visits and activities, breaking down economic, physical and attitudinal barriers;
• Engaging a wider range of people with the heritage, including residents who require communication assistance, such as those of sensory or cognitive impairments. It will also engage people who are socially isolated, living in care homes or supported housing;
• Creating 16 FTE permanent jobs, offering two apprenticeships and work experience and placement opportunities for young people at school, college and university to enhance their employability;
• Improving access between low and high town for people with mobility restrictions;
• Minimising the carbon footprint by bringing Leas Lift back into use, installing roof light to enable natural light. An air source heat pump, insulation, glazing and LED lighting will be installed throughout.
• Ensuring Leas Lift is resilient by developing a highly trained workforce, volunteer corps and a sustainable business model;
• Securing the long-term future of the Lift, which will be run as a viable business attracting an estimated 240,000 visitors each year, generating sufficient income to enable it to be maintained to a high standard.

Canterbury Christchurch University and the University of Kent are both educational partners of the Leas Lift. Engineer students of CCU are making a 1:10 model of the Lift to be used for educational purposes, and a placement student from the UoK will work as part of the team in the period up to the re-opening of the Lift.

This project reflects a shared commitment to heritage preservation and technical excellence — and we’re excited to see this important landmark move one step closer to reopening.
Stay tuned for more updates as the restoration progresses!