The Full Lumen

The Full Lumen

Built in1888 the Victorian water powered Cliff Railway links Lynton to Lynmouth and must qualify as the most eco-friendly transport system ever. It climbs and descends over 500 feet with an incline of 1 in 1.75 without the need for an engine of any sort by using the weight of water and the power of gravity. It was and remains unique to this day, a tribute to great Victorian engineering and the dedicated team that still run and maintain it.
Lynmouth is a bit of a survivor too having been devastated by a terrible flash flood in 1952 where 9 inches of water fell in under 24 hours and overnight over 100 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged along with 28 of the 31 bridges, and 38 cars were washed out to sea. In total, 34 people died, with a further 420 made homeless.
All images copyright of The Full Lumen © 2009, all rights reserved.
Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway