The history of stairlift design

The first documented use of a stair lift style device dates back to the mid-1500s. It’s believed that King Henry VIII of England was the first to use a stair lift, (referred to as the ‘stairthrone’), to get up and down the stairs of Whitehall Palace.

The 30 stone King made his servants haul him up and down the stairs using a block and tackle system after he became injured in a jousting tournament.

The First Commercial Stair Lift

The first version of the modern stairlift as we know it today was invented by Pennsylvanian engineer C.C. Crispen in the 1920s. The idea started when he visited his ill neighbour who had been confined to his upstairs bed.

He thought of a method to help his friend to travel from floor to floor, which eventually became a chair that could climb stairs. He drew up plans for a folding wooden chair with a footrest that moved with the aid of rollers up and down a steel bar attached to the stairs.

The invention was called the ‘inclinator’ and it had a folding chair and footrest. Many of the original design elements developed by Crispen are still used and he is credited with inventing the first commercial stairlift.

The ‘inclinator’ took a year to fully develop and was then displayed for the first time in a showroom in 1924. Some of the first stairlifts to be produced commercially were advertised and sold in the U.S. in the 1930s by the Inclinator Company of America. Many users at the time had polio.

Crispen went on to invent the first residential electric lift in 1928 to help people living in homes with winding staircases.

The Modern Stair Lift

Since Crispen’s invention nearly 100 years ago, the stairlift world has changed as technology has become more advanced. Although the basic idea that Crispen came up with has actually remained the same, the design and materials as well as features have advanced significantly.

Lightweight materials are now used and there is a greater emphasis on comfort. They also have innovative safety features to prevent falls and to make transitioning on and off the lift as simple as possible.

The stairlifts are much slimmer and attractive and are now generally accepted as the most cost-effective solution to getting up and down the stairs when you start to struggle.

Modern stairlifts continue to use new innovations in technology to improve previous designs. Today, you can get stairlifts for straight, curved, and even outdoor staircases. Stairlift prototypes have even been developed for pets.

And research and development of stair lifts continues and includes ideas to create what is described as a more inclusive home access solution that integrates a lift and staircase into a single unit, (called ARISE).

ARISE uses a design where the entire staircase structure moves. It can function as both a normal staircase and a lift for wheelchair users. The lift is accessible at all times from the top and bottom of the stairs and stair tread rise is consistent with building codes.

However, the system is very complex and this could make it very expensive.

So, the stair lift has been around for almost 500 years! It’s gone through many changes and continued research and advances in technology offer a bright future for stairlifts.

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