Cliff Lift is a Grade II listed building in the Thanet local planning authority area, England. First listed on 5 November 2014. Lift. 1 related planning application.
Cliff Lift
- WRENN ID
- fallen-pinnacle-russet
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Thanet
- Constituency
- East Thanet MP: Ms Polly Billington (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 5 November 2014
- Type
- Lift
- Address
- Cliff Lift, CT9 2DS
- OS grid reference
- TR 367 713
- Coordinates
- 51.39216, 1.40141
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Cliff Lift, built for Margate Borough Council in 1934, is designed in Art Deco style with Egyptian influences and was refurbished in the 1990s.
The structure features concrete walls and a flat roof. It has a pylon tower integrated into the cliffs at the sides and rear, housing a lift shaft for a single car with entrances at both cliff and beach levels.
The tower stands about 30 feet tall and is 12 feet wide at the base, tapering towards the top, which has a stepped cornice. The north side facing Walpole Bay includes a tall central panel that extends from the top to the plinth, featuring five ribs. The upper section has four narrow blank openings, each with two small circular ventilation holes. The tall projecting plinth has an entrance with recessed pilasters and a rectangular panel above inscribed 'LIFT' in serif lettering.
On the west side, there are three recessed blank openings at the top, similar to those on the north side. The lower part of this side is built into the adjoining cliff and features a wide brick retaining wall with a rendered plinth.
The east side also has three recessed blank openings and is similarly integrated into the cliff, but includes an additional side entrance accessed by a staircase, likely for lift maintenance. The south or cliff elevation features an entrance with a plain entablature inscribed 'LIFT' in serif lettering, a narrow flat concrete hood, and wide entrance sides that incorporate blank panels. There is a late 20th-century shutter fronted door.
Local climate
Cliff Lift sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 710 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 87% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 67% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 8 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 94% of listed buildings. Of these, 4 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 1 application
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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- 4 The Leas Lift, including waiting rooms, pump room, lower station tanks, track, cars, wheel houses, tank room, upper station tunnel and railings
- 5 Lift from Western Undercliff to Royal Esplanade at TR3763 6422
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