Historic & Listed Buildings

The owner of the Grade I listed Dancing Man Brewery & Pub came to us needing a pub lift that fitted the industrial aesthetics of the building and did not compromise the Grade I listing.

The Dancing Man Brewery & Pub is situated in the Wool House, Southampton. The Wool House is a 14th Century, Grade I listed building that has recently been converted into a microbrewery and pub. The owners wanted to make the 1st floor accessible to disabled customers so that they could experience the whole brewery. The main challenge that needed to be overcome was how to design a lift to fit into a 1450mm x 1450mm space that did not compromise the property's Grade I listing.

We came up with a small platform lift within its own lift shaft. In order to meet the client's expectations of an industrial looking pub lift to reflect the building's historic past, we opted for a glass lift shaft with a black structure. This was so that the inner workings of the lift could be seen by the customers to give it a warehouse/industrial charm. The work was completed within 10 days and the lift was ready for the grand opening of the Dancing Man. Our engineers even fitted the client's existing handrails to the lift structure as to maximise the space on the stairway leading to the 1st floor. The client was really impressed with the finished article and said, "we were very pleased with how Access Lifts worked, the guys left the site neat and tidy ready for the grand opening."

To see more of our projects in listed buildings click on the following links: York Theatre Royal, British Library, National Theatre and Inclined Platform Lift in Grade II Listed Waterworks.

We were approached by the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead who were looking to supply wheelchair access to part of their art gallery. The Baltic Centre is a converted flour mill located on the soutbaek of the River Tyne in Gateshead. The local landmark plays host to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and holds several world renowned exhibitions. In fact the mill was the first venue outside of London and Liverpool to host the Turner Prize in its 25 year history. The client wanted an access solution that would provide both the necessary access for all visitors but also be in keeping with the BALTIC's contemporary design. A compliant ramp would require at least 6 metres of slope to get over the 500mm rise across the split floor levels.

In order to create a simple solution that wouldn't disrupt the interior of the building with a more traditional platform lift we designed a small hidden scissor step lift. The step lift would firstly rise above the height of the 3 steps between the galleries then travel across to the upper floor level and then lower slightly to meet the floor level. The total travel for the lift was 5o0mm vertically followed by 700mm horizontally, the lift has a maximum load of 450kg so can easily take a wheelchair and even the heaviest of electric mobility scooters. The lift was finished with the same hardwood flooring as the gallery and so disappears into the floor when not in use. The lift was installed in a day and was ready to use by mid afternoon the same day.

To see more of our hidden platform lifts click on the following links:

200 Grays Inn Road | Sissinghurst Castle Garden | 24 Chiswell Street | Devonshire Club | Platform Lift for Ribs

The Dancing Man Brewery at the Wool House

For more information about lifts like the one above then call us on 0800 65 252 65 or email us

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

For more information about lifts like the one above call us on 0800 65 252 65 or email us