Hastings West Hill Lift reopens

The first passengers to use the lift, Lorenzo, Tom and Sistina Rossi-Flint from Eastbourne, on Friday morning after it reopened. Picture by Kevin Boorman SUS-210309-141409001

The lift, a cliff railway which takes passengers from George Street in the Old Town to the top of the West Hill, is operated by Hastings Borough Council.

Cllr Kim Forward, council leader, said: “We had to close the lift last October for maintenance but, unfortunately, the work took far longer than expected.

“The lift is 129 years old and still uses the original carriages, so maintaining it is a very specialist area.

One of the lift cars back in action. Picture by Kevin Boorman SUS-210309-141419001

“Our original contractor, based in Sheffield, was unable to carry out the work as planned and we also had to have parts shipped from America.

“It is very disappointing not to have been able to open earlier, but, obviously, passenger safety is of the utmost importance and everything had to be checked by engineers.

“We completed the final recommissioning works on Thursday afternoon and I am delighted that we were able to reopen Friday morning.

“We had passengers using the lift again as soon as we reopened it, including visitors from Eastbourne and Gloucester on the very first journey, which is great.

“Hastings Castle and Smugglers Adventure can easily be reached by the lift and, of course, there are stunning views across the Old Town and towards Beachy Head from the top of the hill.

“The lift is also popular with residents who live on the West Hill. So we are sure that the lift will quickly become very popular again.”