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History of Stair Lifts

King Henry the VIII

1930s and 1940s

In the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the Stannah Company began building elevator and lift systems in 1867. In 1975 Stannah produced their first stairlift and recently finished shipping their 500,000th stairlift in 2011. The Stannah family still owns and actively manages the business, which distributes their products worldwide. They are known for very stylish, easy to use, and extremely safe stairlifts. Current models are the 420 line for straight stairs that have multiple chair options including the Saxon, Solus, & Sofia and the 260 chair designed for stairs that have turns. Note that in Europe stairlift is usually one word, while in North America, it is often two words.

Manufacturer to Manufacturer

Another British stairlift company, Acorn Stair Lifts, began business in 1992 by buying up used lifts made by other manufacturers & reselling them. They soon designed and built their own stair lift, the Acorn Superglide. Acorn entered the United States stair lift market by internet selling of the low-priced Superglide direct to consumers for do-it-yourself installations. They have since become a fast growing stair lift company and have moved away from the DIY market and now offer nationwide installations in North America and Canada.

As always, there are differences from manufacturer to manufacturer and especially differences in the training and expertise of installing and servicing companies. Make sure and talk with a stair lift expert at American Elevator if you think a stair lift would help you or a loved one enjoy the full use of their home. We’ll help you select just the right one for your individual abilities and need.