Pennyhill Park Hotel

Pennyhill Park Hotel and Spa is a luxury hotel situated across 120 acres in the heart of Surrey. The main house is a 19th century manor house with modern extensions added to the site over time. The hotel features a Michelin starred restaurant, Latymer, a more informal restaurant, Hillfield as well as further food and drink offerings. The hotel also features a 45,000 sq ft spa which includes a state-of-the-art fitness suite, over 20 treatment rooms and inside and outside swimming pools.

During the first half of 2023, the hotel underwent extensive refurbishment works to the Terrace Wing creating a new destination within the hotel for luxury weddings. As part of the renovation the architect was looking at installing disabled access from one level to another across their marbled stairs. The architect wanted a solution which would blend in seamlessly with the stairs and would not ruin the aesthetic of a 5-star luxury hotel. More traditional options such as platform stairlifts would look completely out of place and would ruin the appearance of this part of the hotel.

The option we proposed was a hidden platform lift which would incorporate the existing steps. When a visitor uses the lift, retractable shields raise at the upper landing and the lift descends to the lower landing. The steps also travel down creating a step free flat pathway onto the platform. The lift features a brushed stainless steel on platform control column and wireless radio control call and send landing controls. The platform and steps are clad with the same white marble as the rest of the staircase and upper and lower landings. This creates a discreet access solution with a clean attractive finish which doesn’t take away from the rest of the building. The lift was completed in time for the weddings booked in the Terrace Wing in June.

The Newt in Somerset

Hadspen House was built in the late 17th century and is situated in East Somerset. The Grade II* listed building has undergone many transformations in its time and now the main house as well as the surrounding outbuildings and lodges have been renovated into a luxury country hotel. The Newt in Somerset boasts 35 rooms from converted stable blocks to a loft in the main house. In addition to the rooms, there are a number of other attractions on the estate. The spa is located a short walk up the driveway from the main house. It features various treatment rooms, a pool and even a mud chamber. The restaurant, attached to the main house, features a complete sloped glass ceiling combining the original Georgian house with state of the art modern style. It serves food from their kitchen garden which you can see while enjoying breakfast, lunch or dinner. They even produce venison from the estate's deer park, making sure as much produce as possible is gathered from the local area. The estate also features 3000 strong apple tree orchards with its very own cider press where guests can see the whole process from pressing the apples to enjoying the cider.

The client needed two lifts for The Newt in Somerset, the first a goods lift which would be used to ferry items from the kitchen on the ground floor up into the rest of the hotel as well as take deliveries. This one tonne goods lift was finished with brushed stainless steel walls and ceilings to match the kitchen surfaces. The second, an antique passenger lift that would provide access for guests across the 3 floors of the hotel. The client had a very specific vision having purchased the stripped down panelling of a 19th century mahogany lift from an antique shop. They wanted a lift that would be befitting of the hotel and vice versa. Our task was to use as much of the original materials as possible whilst adapting the panelling into a completely new lift layout. The antique panelling was then fitted onto a modern hydraulic lift. We even managed to keep the original operating instructions, original brass push buttons, original green leather seat and the 19th century brass R. Waygood & Co sign.

Below are a number of photos of the antique passenger lift at The Newt in Somerset.

Marine Platform Lift for Ribs

Making boats accessible has proven difficult in the past, in particular smaller and private vessels. The main challenges that these projects face are: 1. function 2. materials 3. aesthetics. Our marine platform lifts look to tackle these challenges and create products that stand up to the hostile marine environment and look great.

Nowadays most platform lifts work perfectly fine (on land) however couple that with the motion of the tide or swell and being fixed into a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) boat hull they can quickly become ineffective. The greatest challenge that marine lifts face is seawater. If a product is not designed with this in mind corrosion and pitting corrosion can cause complete product failure. That's why every part and material we use is researched in order to see how it copes in a saltwater environment as well as how they interact with each other over time. All steelwork for our marine platform lifts is made out of 316L marine-grade stainless steel, this prevents rusting over time and allows our products to withstand the harsh saltwater environment. Depending on the likelihood of coming into contact with saltwater, the metalwork can undergo a range of metal treatments on top of being made out of marine-grade stainless steel. For example if a boat is a leisure cruiser on a freshwater body such as a lake then the likelihood of rusting is greatly reduced compared to a high speed rib that's going to be used at sea. For this particular project, the lift underwent a number of metal treatments due to the location of the lift at the front of the boat and the type of boat. The high speed nature of the rib would lead to more saltwater breaking over the hull and coming into contact with the lift.

We tailor make all of our marine platform lifts to the client's specifications, this includes the look and finishes used on the lift. For ribs and speedboats original teak decking can be used so that the lift blends into the rest of the deck. A number of metal finishes are available for any exposed metalwork including mirrored finishes as seen on the detachable handrails for this project. We also use rubber and neoprene for safety edges and protective borders to prevent scratching of both the lift and boat.

This project was similar in design to our previous project for a speedboat (you can view that project by clicking here) however it posed a number of unique challenges. As the boat was a rib, any lift would have to be considerably lighter so not to weigh it down and affect overall performance. The position of the lift at the front of the boat could affect the drive of the boat, particularly at high speed and with very little room to work in the lift would have to be fixed to the GRP hull rather than structural steelwork.

We also created a bespoke ramp that changes into steps when needed. This allows any wheelchair users as well as other guests to easily board and disembark the rib. Both parts, the marine platform lift and ramp were finished with teak (as seen in the video and photos below) to match the rest of the deck and create a beautifully finished product.

bespoke lift

Pennyhill Park Hotel

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

The Newt in Somerset

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

Marine Platform Lift for Ribs

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