Bridgnorth Cliff Railway boss discovers family links when meeting cable car owners

Bridgnorth Cliff Railway directors Malvern Tipping and his mother Eileen Tipping were joined by other members of the Heritage Railway Association cable group at the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway last week.

The Heritage Railway Association’s Cableways Group discussed industry updates and met with the Health and Safety Executive.

“We discussed the latest safety issues and updates regarding hearses. These meetings are always very productive and allow us to update our safety measures,” said Mr Tipping.

However, he said the meeting also revealed more family ties between the owners of the country’s cable car and funicular companies.

He said the Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway was founded by Bob Jones and designed by his cousin Sir George Croydon Marks – a cousin of Malvern’s mother Eileen Tipping’s grandfather, who is now 96.

“The largest shareholder in Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway is Martin Slader, an accountant who lives in Cumbria and who is the great-nephew of Bob Jones and a distant cousin of the Tipping family,” said Malvern Tipping.

He added that Rupert Pugh, whose family owns the Heights of Abraham cable car in Matlock, Derbyshire, was the niece by marriage of Mr Tipping’s first cousin, Philip Sutton.

The 130-year-old Bridgnorth Cliff Railway reopened in March this year after being out of service for 14 months when a damaged retaining wall was found to pose a health and safety risk in December 2022.