The unusual world record holding attraction that is Southbourne Lift
Also known as the Fisherman's Walk Cliff Railway, it was first opened in 1935, and was the last of three cliff railways to be constructed in Bournemouth.
It joined the West Cliff and East Cliff lifts, providing an innovative solution for beachgoers to navigate the steep coastal cliffs. '
While the East Cliff lift ceased operations in 2016 following a landslide and the West Cliff lift continues to operate, the Southbourne Lift holds a unique place in both local history and global records.
Built with the dual purpose of offering convenient beach access, particularly for those with mobility challenges, and boosting tourism, the funicular railway quickly became a cherished local landmark.
Its design is classic funicular: two counterbalanced cars on parallel tracks, connected by a cable, smoothly traversing the incline powered by an electric motor.
Read more:
Nights out clubbing in Bournemouth in 1998 - in pictures
How this 19th century Bournemouth pub got its unusual name
'I woke up a Dorset Dumpling': The day we were moved into Dorset
The journey along its 128-foot track takes a mere 30 seconds from top to bottom.
This brief ride earned the Southbourne Lift a prestigious title.
In 2015, it was officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest funicular railway in the world, a record it proudly retains to this day.
Typically operating from Easter to October, the lift is a popular draw, offering not just a convenient descent to the beach but also picturesque views of the coastline.
Following essential repairs and significant improvements, the lift reopened in July 2023.
Join us in celebrating this much-loved, record-holding piece of Bournemouth's heritage as we glance back at its story through a collection of old postcard pictures.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ellen DeGeneres Says She Moved to the U.K. Because of Donald Trump: Life ‘Is Just Better' Here
Ellen DeGeneres says she decided to make the U.K. her permanent home because of Donald Trump's re-election as U.S. President. Making her first public appearance since leaving the U.S. last year, the chat show host revealed that she decided to settle in the U.K. with her wife Portia de Rossi the day after Trump won his second term in office in November 2024. More from Variety Donald Trump Files $20 Billion Suit Against WSJ, Rupert Murdoch Over Jeffrey Epstein Birthday Letter Story Trump Says 'I Absolutely Love' That Stephen Colbert Got 'Fired' and 'I Hear Jimmy Kimmel Is Next' Trump Celebrates Congress Pulling $1.1 Billion in Funding From 'Atrocious' NPR and PBS: 'This Is Big!' 'We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, 'He got in',' she said in an on-stage conversation with U.K. host Ricard Bacon, according to the BBC. 'And we're like, 'We're staying here.'' But DeGeneres was full of praise for her new home, asserting that life 'is just better' in the U.K. compared to the U.S. 'It's absolutely beautiful,' she said. 'We're just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture — everything you see is charming and it's just a simpler way of life.' She added: 'It's clean. Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.' DeGeneres also discussed moves in the U.S. to endorse the reversal of a Supreme Court case that allows same-sex marriage, adding that she was considering getting married again in the U.K.. 'The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage,' she said. 'They're trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it. Portia and I are already looking into it, and if they do that, we're going to get married here.' In the conversation with Bacon, DeGeneres addressed allegations of a toxic workplace culture on her talk show in the U.S. from former workers and being branded as 'mean' in some press circles. 'It's as simple as, I'm a direct person, and I'm very blunt, and I guess sometimes that means that… I'm mean?,' she said. 'I don't think I can say anything that's ever going to get rid of that [reputation] or dispel it, which is hurtful to me,' she added. 'I hate it. I hate that people think that I'm that because I know who I am and I know that I'm an empathetic, compassionate person.' But DeGeneres admitted that it was 'certainly an unpleasant way to end' her talk show. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Here's What We Know About Charli XCX And George Daniel's Wedding So Far
"360" singer Charli XCX and George Daniel, drummer of the band The 1975, are officially a married couple! Related: BBC reports that the pair, who first confirmed their engagement in November 2023, apparently wed in London. Charli and George first linked up after working on "Spinning" with The 1975 and No Rome in 2021. The BBC added that a fan video sparked online speculation of their wedding when they were spotted on the steps of Hackney Town Hall on July 19. They reportedly invited 20 wedding guests, including Charli's parents and Daniel's bandmates (except Matty Healy). Related: Charli seemingly confirmed the news when she posted a TikTok video posing in a white wedding dress and veil with the text "when george ins't crying when he sees me walking down the aisle." In the caption, Charli wrote, "luckily he did xx." Charli shared a second video captioned "bridal party energy!" which included a shot of George wearing Charli's veil. Related: Reacting to the video of the newlyweds, one fan said, "So George Daniel is now George XCX." "this is the single most important thing since we discovered fire," another said. Another fan wrote, "this is my royal wedding." Related: Finally, Tinashe wrote "CONGRATS QUEEN," with a champagne toast emoji. Congrats, George and Charli! We reached out to Charli's team for more details, and we'll let you know if we hear back! Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity: Also in Celebrity:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Woman 'Annoyed' After Friends Order Her Food Before She Even Arrives at the Restaurant — Then Expect Her to Split the Bill
"Is this some kind of weird power play, or what?" the woman asked as she sought advice on a community forumNEED TO KNOW A woman sought advice on the U.K. community forum Mumsnet about an awkward dynamic with some friends, a married couple On two separate occasions, a member of the couple ordered food for her before she arrived at the restaurant, and expected to split the bill "Is this some kind of weird power play, or what?" the woman askedA woman is seeking advice about an awkward situation with her friends. She shared her story in a post on the U.K. site Mumsnet's "Am I Being Unreasonable?" forum, beginning by explaining that she and her partner recently met up at a restaurant with her friend and her husband — and arrived to find they had started the meal without them. "We turned up bang on time, to find that the husband had already ordered garlic pizza as a starter and expected us all to share it and not order starters of our own," the OP (original poster) wrote. She was a bit put off as she had planned to order something different for herself. "I particularly wanted a starter that's unique to that restaurant, and had been looking forward to it all day, and had to really stick to my guns as the husband tried to bully me into sharing the starter I didn't want," she recalled. At the time, the OP assumed the food ordering issue "was the husband" and brushed it off. When she later got together with just her friend, she inquired about it. "I asked what was going on with 'Fred' ordering for us, and she said it was just him," she wrote. "But it happened again recently, so I'm not so sure," she continued. On the second occasion, the OP arrived 10 minutes late to lunch but made sure to text her friend ahead of time to apologize for her tardiness. "This was the first time I have ever been late meeting her in 25 years," she noted. When she got to the restaurant, she discovered that her friend had already ordered — "what I usually, but not always, eat and drink." "It was 12:40, I hadn't made her desperately late getting lunch, and she's not diabetic or anything else that would need her to eat at a particular time to within 10 minutes," the OP wrote. The OP said that for both restaurant outings, the expectation was that the bill would be split in half, despite her not getting to order for herself. "AIBU [am I being unreasonable] to be a bit annoyed? Is this some kind of weird power play, or what?" she asked fellow Mumsnet users. In the comments, most people agreed that the couple's behavior was "strange and controlling" and advised the OP to speak up about it. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "It's weird, and I wouldn't like this. Either tell them firmly before the event that 'let's all order for ourselves' or you stop dining with them," one reader wrote. "Just say very firmly in advance, 'Please don't order for me! I like to choose for myself,' " another commenter said. Yet another person suggested: "Order your own food when you get there. Let the friend pay for the meal she ordered. Make it her problem. It won't happen again!" Still, a small minority of commenters pointed out that, at least in the second instance, the OP's friend may have thought she was being helpful by ordering food for her since she was running late. "Ordering your lunch is weird, but you've known her for 25 years so she probably thought she was helping you," one person wrote. However, another user chimed in to say that the friend still could have given the OP the option to choose her own food. "Occasionally, someone might mean to be helpful, particularly if you're running late. I've ordered for a friend in that situation, but only after I've texted her and given her the menu options so she can let me know what she wants," they wrote. "Everyone has a mobile phone these days, it's not difficult!" Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
