Lottery bid makeover for Volk’s Railway

Brighton & Hove City Council wins a successful first round bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The money will help restore the historic Volk’s Railway and provide new and upgraded facilities.

Volk’s Railway, which runs for a mile along Brighton seafront from the Brighton Pier to Black Rock, opened in 1883 and is the oldest operating electric railway in the world. Since opening teams of council staff with support from dedicated volunteers have kept the railway running right up until the present day.

The funding will be used to:

• Provide a purpose-built heritage visitor centre at the Aquarium station to tell the story of Magnus Volk and his pioneering railway
• Create a conservation workshop to protect the historic carriages, enable restoration work to be viewed, and provide training for volunteers to develop their skills
• Restore and bring back to use three of the original carriages (numbers 4, 6 and 10) which will increase capacity on the railway
• Develop new learning materials and schools sessions

Following this initial success, the council will now draw up detailed plans to submit to the HLF for round two next year. In the meantime HLF has awarded the council a development grant of £96,000 to develop the scheme further.

As long as plans have progressed satisfactorily and according to the original proposal, an award for the project is confirmed. The total amount of funding will be around £1.5 million and the project is expected to be finished in 2017.

Simon Kirby, MP for Kemptown & Peacehaven and a long term supporter of the railway, said:  “It is fantastic news that the Heritage Lottery Fund has chosen to provide £1.54 million towards the rejuvenation of Volk’s Electric Railway.”

“The visitor centre and conservation workshop will attract even more tourists to the local area, as well as providing learning materials and schools sessions to educate and engage local children. I look forward to seeing this stage of restoration completed in 2017”

Councillor Geoffrey Bowden, chair of the city’s economic development and culture committee, added: “Volk’s is truly unique, part of Brighton & Hove’s heritage and a wonderful attraction, so this funding success is fantastic news. We can now give the railway the tender loving care it deserves and provide an even better experience for visitors and school parties. It’s also a tribute to staff and volunteers, past and present, whose dedication has kept the railway on track for 131 years.”

Peter Williams, spokesperson for the Volk’s Electric Railway Association (VERA), concluded saying: “We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has recognised the historical and national importance of Magnus Volk’s railway by awarding this substantial grant.  There is now the opportunity of restoring the railway to it’s former glory and to finally say goodbye to the old, draughty and leaking train storage sheds.  VERA looks forward to developing the project with the council over the next three years.”