Southend seafront Cliff Lift highs and lows over the years

The lift is set to reopen this weekend after being closed for almost a month due to repairs.

It’s no surprise that the electric stairway needed new parts, after all it is 112 years old.

The lift has enjoyed highs and lows since it began ferrying Southend daytrippers, tourists and residents up the Cliffs on August of 1912.

Driving force - Former Echo features writer Tom King got to “drive” the Cliff Lift back in 2012 (Image: Newsquest)

One of those highs came last year when the landmark was recognised as a site of historical importance at a special ceremony.

The lift, considered one of Southend’s most treasured attractions, was honoured by the National Transport Trust’s Red Wheel Scheme which celebrates the most significant transport heritage sites in the UK.

Heritage - the lift is run by a team of volunteers (Image: Newsquest)

When the Cliff Lift opened it received equal praise. It was hailed as a state-of-6the-art addition to the town (even if the Southend Standard newspaper described it as a less than impressive “big lift from the seashore” which would be “interesting to invalids”).

The lift had to be built because Southend councillors were getting inundated with complaints from fed-up tourists and local Southend residents and workers wanting a smoother way of getting up to the Cliffs from Western Esplanade.

There had been an earlier lift installed at the Cliffs site in 1901 by the American engineer Jesse W. Reno. It was known as the Reno Electric Stairway.

Vintage view - an old postcard describes the Cliff Lift as the ‘Electric Stair’ (Image: Newsquest)

A huge water fountain was erected at the foot of the lift in 1909.

However, the novelty of the Reno stairway soon wore off. It proved to be noisy, clunky, and unreliable due its exposed location. It also become a hotspot for antisocial behaviour. Groups of men and women, often drunk, began to hang around under the lift.

Noteworthy - The opening of the Cliff Lift in 1912 made interesting headlines (Image: Newsquest)

In October of 1905 a woman named Ada Ray was summoned to court for using indecent language on the electric lift. She had been seen by a police officer hurling insults at another woman below. She was given a fine.

Something more modern was needed to improve the area, and in May 1912 council bosses sprang into action. They organised for the old Reno elevator to be dismantled and handed the land over to builders to create a new electrical lift.

The project was put into the capable hands of Messrs R Waygood and Co Ltd, of Great Dover Street, East London, who were well known lift specialists of the time.

Makeover - This photograph was taken in 1930 as improvements to the lift were made (Image: Newsquest)

What the company ended up building in Southend was ahead of its time.

It was a pioneering moving walkway and a forerunner of today’s escalator. No expense was spared. All the parts of the lift had been machine cut to ensure the smooth running and precision of the lift, while the gear was also fitted with duplicate magnetic breaks.

This first electrical Cliff Lift travelled at the speed of 300ft per minute (about 3.3 miles an hour) and was built to hold 30 people each way.

Inside it was furnished with exquisite, panelled oak and fitted with two long seats.

Once it reopens the lift will be open daily from 10.30am to 3pm.