Cunningham's Camp Escalator was a moving seated

escalator An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a Electric motor, motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the st ...

open c. 1919 to 1968 from a short distance behind the promenade in

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

, to Cunningham's holiday camp on Victoria Road. Although sometimes described as a 'chairlift', this was a ground-level

covered by a roof, albeit with seats, rather than an overhead

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...

as used in ski resorts. Cunningham's camp, one of the earliest holiday camps in the British Isles (pre-dating

Butlins Butlin's is a chain of large Seaside resort, seaside resorts in the United Kingdom, incorporated as Butlins Skyline Limited. Butlin's was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families. Between 1936 and 1 ...

), opened around 1902 and initially had only steps leading to it from the seafront. The escalator was installed just after the First World War. It is thought to have been built by JT Skillicorn of Onchan. In 1938, a second escalator was provided, both working in only the up direction and running within a wooden shelter.Cunningham’s Holiday Camp chairlift to be scrapped
Adrian Darbyshire, IOM Today, Saturday 2 February 2013 The escalator last functioned in 1968, after which it was closed off but not demolished. In the 1990s the entrance was bricked over owing to the site being the target of vandalism. Since that time visitors can only view the large red brick and stone archway midway up Little Switzerland Road (site of today's Edelweiss Hotel). Behind the facade remain the

turnstile A turnstile (also called a gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce One-way traffic#One-way traffic of people, one-way ...

s, and

toilets A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and Human feces, feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry toilet, dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be desi ...

with ceramic tiles and copper pipework, before reaching the approach steps to the escalator. The fascinating design is split into two parts, an "up" and "down" section, and each has its own set of moving wooden seats accompanied by steps for the more energetic. The system has been left to decay since closure, particularly since being bricked up. At the start of 2013 it was announced that it is to be demolished.

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* *{{cite web , url=http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/mxman/v06p023.htm , title=Text - Life at Cunningham Camp in ''The Manxman'', #6 1912 , publisher=www.isle-of-man.com , accessdate=2013-02-08 Transport in the Isle of Man Aerial lifts

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