Here at Alfix, we are mobility equipment suppliers dedicated to providing safe and effective stairlift installations, allowing those who struggle to be mobile to move safely and securely throughout the home. Whether you’re based anywhere from Aylesbury or Gloucester, stairlifts are important for a wide group of people.

Stairlifts have had an important role in history for longer than you think, so read on as we explore the rich origins of them that spans centuries.

“A chair… that goeth up and down”

The earliest known record of the stairlift dates to the 1500s. Historians recently discovered that none other than King Henry VIII was a proud owner of a stairlift. In an inventory of Henry V III’s possessions, recorded was a “chair that goeth up and down”, helping the King move up and down his 20-foot staircase in Whitehall Palace, London.

Reportedly, Henry VIII required such a device due to a jousting accident that rendered him immobile. With his primitive stairlift, there would be a “block and tackle” system, consisting of servants pulling ropes to move the chair upwards and downwards.

C.C. Crispen’s Inclin-ator

The first commercially-available stairlift was invented by C. C. Crispen, a self-taught engineer from Pennsylvania, USA. The idea began in 1923. When visiting a neighbour consigned to an upstairs bed with illness, Crispen imagined how useful it would be if there was a way to transport them from floor to floor with ease.

This evolved into a notion of a chair which could climb stairs. Dubbed the Inclin-ator, Crispen began drafting plans for a folding wooden chair with a footrest, with rollers that moved up and down a steel bar attached to the stairs. Allowing his friend to move downstairs without care assistance, this stairlift was first publicly displayed in 1924.

Mobility Equipment Suppliers Bromsgrove

Since Crispen’s Inclin-ator, there has been a lot more development in stairlifts. From Bradford to Bromsgrove, mobility equipment supplies are widely accessible and stairlifts can be customised to fit the requirements of both the property it is in and the needs of its user.

At Alfix, we have been a local family stairlift business for over twenty years. Our range of straight and curved stairlifts have nationwide availability, meaning that if you’re based anywhere from Gloucester or Aylesbury, stairlift services from Alfix are accessible.

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As this blog has demonstrated, stairlifts are an innovative development that can help you regain a sense of independence and safety in your own home. Spanning centuries, stairlifts are examples of practical mobility equipment that can enable mobility in the home, whatever the circumstances. If you’re interested in a stairlift, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Alfix, the favoured mobility equipment supplier in Bromsgrove and beyond.