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.

Laystall Street – Hidden Platform Lift

We were approached by Peldon Rose, a main contractor based in London, who were carrying out a refurbishment on Laystall Street in Farringdon. They were redeveloping the 5 storey commercial office and required a hidden lift in the ground floor reception area. The hidden cantilever lift would allow wheelchair users to reach the passenger lift and access all floors of the building. The hidden lift raises 280mm and traverses 200mm to meet the top step. It features 100mm roll-off protection on all sides which disappears into the pit when the lift is not in use and the front side lowers when the lift reaches the top step to allow the user to exit the platform. These lifts also feature a 22mm top tray which can be infilled with any material to match the surrounding floor. For this project at 12-16 Laystall Street, the top tray was filled with a concrete resin finish and stainless steel trims were used on the roll-off protection to match the contemporary appearance of the new office space. The lift is fitted with handheld remote controls which are kept with the reception desk.

This project, like many, had a floor below where the lift was installed. In order to support the lift, the main contractor fitted suspended steel beams. Our engineers then fixed the lift's pit tray down into this structural steelwork. All of our hidden lifts come with their own galvanised steel pit trays which are then fixed to the existing structure of the building. The pit trays can be fitted by the contractor prior to the lift installation. This allows the contractor to get the floor levels set and finished even before the lift is installed. The pit required for these lifts is only 155mm so means that they can be installed pretty much anywhere. In addition the pit tray can be fixed along its sides rather than down into steel or concrete therefore reducing the size of any void between the floor level and the below ceiling.

This lift was installed within 5 hours.

Lincoln Cathedral

We were approached by Simpson & Brown who were appointed principal designers for the refurbishment and construction of brand new facilities at Lincoln Cathedral. Lincoln Cathedral, consecrated in 1092, is located in the very heart of Lincoln and was once the tallest building in the world till its central spire collapsed in 1548. The Cathedral had recently won £16m in Heritage Lottery Fund to create the Lincoln Cathedral Connected project. This project would include a complete modernisation and refurbishment of parts of the cathedral with the introduction of a brand new education centre, café, shop and community spaces. Due to the nature of the building, level access was not possible across all of these additions therefore a variety of lifts were needed to make the site fully accessible. William Birch Construction were appointed Principal Contractor and we worked with them to deliver this lift package.

The first lift is a hidden traversing lift in the main reception area, the lift raises 350mm and traverses 480mm to meet the top step. This hidden lift features 100mm high roll off protection so that the user remains on the platform and finishes flush with the floor. It can be finished in any flooring up to a depth of 22mm which makes the platform run seamlessly into the rest of the floor. The lift is finished with remote controls so that a member of staff can raise the lift when a visitor needs to use it. The pit requirement for this lift is only 155mm.

The second lift is a cabin lift with fully automatic sliding doors, the same as a traditional passenger lift. The major difference between this lift and a passenger lift is that the pit and headroom requirement is considerably reduced. A passenger lift would require over a metre pit and 3400mm headroom whilst this lift requires only 130mm pit and 2150mm headroom. Due to the historic and archaeological nature of the site all 4 lift options were chosen with the shallowest pit depth possible. This lift provides access across two floors of the newly constructed education centre.

The third lift is an outdoor platform lift that allows access to the courtyard area with a travel of 700mm and is finished with the same wooden decking as the upper level and adjacent stairwell. The lift is made out of hot-dipped galvanised steel which is then powder-coated to provide a finish that will last over time. This means that the less maintenance costs are greatly reduced and the courtyard is accessible for longer.

The fourth lift provides access to the exhibition area of the centre and only needs a pit of 65mm. The lift has a modern look with reduced steel framework and large glass panels which match the contemporary aesthetic within the exhibition centre. We colour matched the adjacent stairwell so that the lift was finished in the same shade of black.

Bespoke Hidden Lift in a New Bond Street Boutique

We were approached by 3Interiors who were carrying out the refurbishment of a brand new New Bond Street boutique. They were looking for a discreet form of disabled access that would blend in with the modern aesthetic of the store. 3Interiors is an interior design contractor that specialises in commercial retail, bars and restaurants as well as having undertaken private residential projects. Bond Street is the London home for the world's major fashion houses and brands. The difficulty that the New Bond Street boutique store faced was that they had a split level with a narrow stairwell leading front the main shop floor to other retail space. The difference between the floor levels was 750mm, a Part M compliant ramp would have to total over 15 metres in length for this rise. A ramp of this length would not have even fit in the shop and so was never a considered option. The narrow width of the stairs would make a traditional platform lift difficult to install and would involve altering the preexisting layout of the store.

The two options available in order to keep the existing stairwell would be to have a collapsable stairwell similar to our project at Chiswell Street or a hidden platform lift. Both would provide the necessary access and leave the stairwell free when not in use. However the collapsable stairwell would require a greater pit depth which would then require more structural work above the basement. The hidden platform lift at the New Bond Street boutique offers disabled access, connecting the main shop floor with the rest of the retail space. The lift rises 750mm and travels 1200mm across to meet the top step. The lift features detachable stainless steel handrails which are fitted when the lift is used. The top tray was given to the tiling company in advance of the installation in which they fitted the same handmade Italian terrazzo tiles to match the surrounding floor.

Hidden Traversing Lift at Sissinghurst Castle Garden

We were approached by a representative of the National Trust as they were looking for a way for less-able visitors to access the lower level of the shop at Sissinghurst Castle Garden. Sissinghurst Castle Garden was bought by the writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson in 1930, with various buildings around the site dating back to the 1530s. Sackville-West and Nicolson restored many of the buildings and designed the layout and style of the now famous gardens. It is one of the National Trust's most visited sites and one of the world's most well known gardens. Due to their cultural significance and high quality the gardens are Grade I listed along with the main Sissinghurst Castle building.

The site of the lift is in the modern day shop which used to be the Old Piggery attached to the granary. The particular challenges of creating disabled access in the shop were that a ramp would have to be over 4.5 metres long plus a 1.5 metre clear space at the bottom of the ramp in order to accommodate the difference between floor levels. This wasn't feasible as the total width of the lower floor was under 4 metres. A traditional platform lift would take up at least 1400mm x 1100mm of retail space and then a 900mm door on both levels would impact the retail space even further. This would have disrupted both the till area and lower level of the shop. Even though it was feasible the disruption and the space that the lift would take up would damage the retail space for the shop.

The best solution was to have a hidden platform lift by the steps in the middle of the shop that wouldn't need any gates. The lift would provide the necessary disabled access but when not in use it would be completely flat matching the surrounding quarry tile floor. The way the lift recedes into the ground allows users to get onto the lift from both sides of the shop and allows the shop staff to have a seasonal table close to the lift as seen in the photos below. When not in use the lift can be walked on and becomes part of the floor.

To see more examples hidden lifts like the one at Sissinghurst Castle Garden click on the following links:

200 Grays Inn Road | Devonshire Club | Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art | 24 Chiswell Street | Venture House

To see more examples of our work in listed buildings click on the following links:

British Library | York Theatre Royal | Dancing Man Brewery | National Theatre | Hotel du Vin Poole

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.

hidden lift

Pennyhill Park Hotel

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

Laystall Street – Hidden Platform Lift

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

Lincoln Cathedral

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

Bespoke Hidden Lift in a New Bond Street Boutique

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

Hidden Traversing Lift at Sissinghurst Castle Garden

For more information about lifts like the one above call us on 0800 65 252 65, email us or click here to be taken to our hidden lifts page

Marine Platform Lift for Ribs

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