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Category Archives: Stairlift Fun

How a Stair Chair Installation Can Benefit the Other Members of Your Family

how a stair lift can benefitSpend some time reading through the archives of our blog, and you’ll notice soon enough that nearly each one of the posts here describes or otherwise explains a scenario in which a stairlift can significantly improve the life of an elderly or disabled member of your family.

Perhaps that elderly or disabled person is you.

If so, we certainly hope you’ve found something on our blog that has convinced you that a stairlift—whether purchased new or used, or even rented temporarily—truly can make your day-to-day life less stressful and more pleasant overall.

But in this blog post, we’d like to introduce a slightly different concept. We’d like to explain to you the stair lift benefits for the other members of your family as well—family members who wouldn’t normally see a need for a home stairlift.

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The Weird History of the Stairlift

Gremlins, Henry VIII and Obese Dogs: 7 Interesting Facts About Stairlifts

Q. Which famous historical figure used an early version of the stairlift?

Q. What iconic ’80s monster movie had a stairlift scene?

Q. How did a stairlift manage to offend fans of a travel website?

Stairlifts are practical, they can even be life-changing, but they’re not exactly “fun.”

Still, they’ve had their moments in the spotlight over the years. Here are a few things you might not know about them.

history of the stairlift

The “Stairthrone”

By most accounts, the first stairlift was used by Henry VIII of England in the mid 1500s. It was really more of a “stairthrone,” used to get the overweight king up and down the steps of Whitehall Palace in London.

For much of his life, Henry was quite athletic. But when he was 44, he suffered a serious leg injury while jousting. His health began to decline, while his weight increased. By the time Henry was in his 50s, he had a 52 inch waist (according to records of his armor).

That’s where the stairthrone – described in royal records as “a chair…that goeth up and down” – comes into play. British documentarian David Starkey found evidence of the chair when researching Henry VIII. He says servants would have used a block and tackle system to lift the king up and down.

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