Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a Victorian seaside resort on the northeast Yorkshire coast, a planned holiday town developed from 1861 by the Stockton and Darlington Railway and its promoter Henry Pease as the first purpose-built resort in the northeast of England, whose combination of the original Victorian grid plan with its pier, cliff lift and distinctive architecture, the excellent surfing beach and the characterful Victorian terraces of the town provides one of the most complete and most rewarding Victorian seaside resort experiences in the north of England. The cliff lift at Saltburn, opened in 1884, is the oldest working water-balanced funicular railway in Britain, its two counterbalanced cars exchanging the weight of water in tanks beneath each car as they ascend and descend the cliff face in a system of Victorian engineering ingenuity that has been maintained in continuous operation for over 130 years. The lift connects the upper town with the lower promenade and pier in the most direct way possible, and the experience of the ascent and descent provides a unique perspective on the cliff face and the beach below. Saltburn Pier, opened in 1869, is the last remaining pier in Yorkshire and provides a walkway over the sea of considerable Victorian character. The pier suffered storm damage in 1924 and 1953 that reduced it to its current length of approximately 206 metres from its original 411 metres, but the remaining structure has been restored and provides the focus of the lower seafront. The surf at Saltburn is consistent and well-regarded, the northeast-facing beach picking up North Sea swells that provide reliable waves and have developed a surf culture in the town unusual for the northeast coast.