down and up

A visit to a Victorian water-balance cliff tramway in Folkestone, Kent starts a series of occasional short features on engineering heritage that needs to be looked after and protected. The town of Folkestone in Kent has suffered in much the same way as other nearby seaside resorts on the English south coast. With the annual holiday makers seeking warmer climates, the facilities built in Victorian times were neglected and eventually demolished, while the nearby Channel Tunnel ensured the demise of the ferry service to France. As a result, it is likely that the harbour railway station, which serviced the ferry, will soon be demolished and the railway track removed. Much of the seafront is now empty, with plans afoot for its regeneration.