The History and Science of Stairlifts
Part 1 - Definition and History
Definition
A stairlift is defined as a motorized platform installed in a stairway, which traverses the stairs when activated, for the benefit of those for whom the stairs are a barrier.
History
In the 1920s, C.C. Crispen, a Pennsylvania entrepreneur, created a way to enable his ailing friend to travel from floor to floor. Crispen's idea was to design a seat that could climb stairs. A self-taught engineer, he built the first prototype of the inclining chair. He called it the Inclin-ator and many users at the time were victims of polio. The Inclinator Company of America still exists, specialising in home elevators (http://www.inclinator.com/about-inclinator.asp).
However, TV historian Doctor David Starkey has in 2009, found evidence in a list of the possessions of King Henry VIII that attributes the first stairlift invented to the monarch (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1138522/Henry-VIII-used-stairthrone-steps-says-Starkey.html). The bloated Tudor Monarch, injured through jousting, used a chair that was hauled up and down stairs on a block and tackle system by servants at the ancient Whitehall Palace in London. Described in royal records as 'a chair...that goeth up and down', the stairlift is thought to have been operational at Whitehall Palace in London where it would have hauled the King up a 20ft staircase. Mr Starkey disclosed that the King owned the mobility aid as well as three wheelchairs - although 'wheelthrones' would be more appropriate - to help transport his vast 30 stone bulk around his royal residences.
In the UK the largest manufacturer is Stannah, with the company originating in the 1860s when Joseph Stannah began making lifts to move ships' cargo . They designed their first stairlift in 1975, and now produce more stair lifts than any other company in the world (http://www.stannah.com/en/about-the-stannah-group.html). Another major supplier in the UK is Brooks stairlifts, dating back to 1972 when Frederick Brooks designed his first stairlift for his wife Grace when she started to find the stairs too difficult due to her rheumatoid arthritis. Using his background as an engineer for Daimler, Brooks attracted much attention and in 1973, the Fred Brooks Stairlift Company was formed in Camberley, Surrey. (http://www.brooksstairlifts.co.uk/).
