Sesame Access

19/11/2025

What is a Sesame Lift?

A Sesame Lift is a revolutionary hydraulic wheelchair lift system, specifically engineered by Sesame Access Systems in the UK to address the accessibility challenges posed by steps and architectural constraints in listed buildings.

The Sesame Lift is a hydraulic system that can be installed in historical or Grade I, Grade II*, and Grade II listed buildings, where traditional accessibility solutions like ramps may not be feasible due to listed building regulations or architectural constraints.

At Sesame Access Systems, we have installed our lifts in numerous buildings worldwide, including historical landmarks and important institutions such as the Bank of England, Seattle Space Needle, Sydney Opera House, Kensington Palace, Qatar National Library, and Royal College of Music. We have also received awards for our innovation and design, including The Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2016.

Visit our website to find out more about the Sesame Lift: https://www.sesameaccess.com/technical/what-is-a-sesame-lift

We’re here to design a lift that perfectly suits all your requirements!

📲 01784 440088
📧 sales@sesameaccess.com

Sesame Access Systems design hidden wheelchair platform lifts that disappear into floors and staircases for heritage and listed buildings across the UK.

07/11/2025

When is our Mayfair Lift the right choice? 🧐

If your project has a rise between 500mm and 999mm, the Mayfair is the sweet spot - elegant, hidden, and fully bespoke.

✅ Perfect for listed buildings, galleries, and private residences
✅ Ideal when you need a hidden rising barrier that disappears when not in use
✅ Designed for seated wheelchair users in controlled environments
✅ CE marked under the Machinery Directive

Learn more: https://www.sesameaccess.com/lifts/mayfair-stairlift

31/10/2025

How do you make a heritage staircase fully accessible without changing its character?

Our Edinburgh Lift is a bespoke vertical retracting stair lift that transforms a short flight of steps into a hidden wheelchair platform. It’s one of our most popular solutions for listed buildings and heritage properties with generous landings and shallow pit depth.

What makes it unique?
- It uses a scissor lift beneath the landing, allowing for a shallower pit than other Sesame models like the Buckingham or Wellington.

Where is it used?
- Ideal for heritage entrances, churches, private residences, and boutique hotels where the façade must remain untouched.

How deep is the pit?
- As little as 335 mm for rises up to 750 mm.

Customisation?
- Every lift is bespoke - step depths, risers, width, and cladding can all match the building’s materials.

Power & safety?
- Runs on 240 V single phase, with optional UPS backup, safety wheel stops, and full Machinery Directive Annex VIII compliance.

Learn more: https://www.sesameaccess.com/lifts/edinburgh-access-lift

27/10/2025

This 10-step retracting stairlift is one of the largest lifts we've ever designed and installed! 🤩

Located in a stunning Grade II* listed pre-World War II building, renowned for its timeless, almost space-age design, this lift seamlessly blends with its unique architecture.

Our Westminster Equality Act stairlift provided the ideal solution, allowing wheelchair users, pushchairs, and those with limited mobility to access the main entrance with ease and dignity ♿

Learn more: https://www.sesameaccess.com/lifts/westminster-equality-act-lift

22/10/2025

Accessibility is about creating spaces that work for all people - not just a few.
Parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users, visitors with temporary injuries, older adults, delivery staff, or even someone carrying heavy bags all benefit from thoughtful, inclusive design.

When choosing an access solution, it should serve everyone who may need a little extra support, not just meet minimum compliance requirements. Accessibility should never be a tick-box exercise. It's a detailed process of understanding the needs of different people and designing solutions that work for them.

Because true inclusive design ensures:
- Ease: Everyone can move freely and safely.
- Dignity: No one has to use a side door or a "special" entrance.
- Equality: Access feels natural, not exceptional.

Discover how a Sesame Lift opens doors for everyone: https://www.sesameaccess.com/

17/10/2025

The People's Lift is a compact vertical platform lift designed for domestic use and private homes. We created this lift to provide wheelchair users with an affordable yet practical solution for their homes.

Here’s Michaël Jérémiasz using his lift to enter the front of his home. Our favourite words from him were, “I want to live where I want, not where I can.”

That’s exactly what The People’s Lift is all about - freedom, independence, and living life on your own terms.

Learn more: https://www.sesameaccess.com/lifts/the-peoples-lift

16/10/2025

Imagine a listed Georgian townhouse that’s been converted into professional offices requiring disabled access. The front entrance features a short flight of two or three steps (around a 400mm rise), but listed building regulations mean that a ramp or bulky lift simply isn’t an option.

This is exactly where our Wellington Lift is ideal. It blends seamlessly with the existing steps, with the bottom step forming part of the lift platform.

When not in use, the lift maintains the original appearance of the entrance, preserving the building’s historic character. And with a rise of up to 500mm, it provides easy access without the need for an upper landing barrier.

Learn more: https://www.sesameaccess.com/lifts/wellington-lift

10/10/2025

Did you know? Traditional platform lifts can require up to 40% more space than retractable systems.

Our Victoria Chair Lift combines vertically retracting stairs with a compact footprint, offering an access solution for listed buildings and heritage spaces 🤩

Learn more: https://www.sesameaccess.com/lifts/victoria-chair-lift

09/10/2025

Making historic buildings accessible is rarely straightforward.

Enquiries often begin at the concept stage, when architects are still exploring what’s possible within strict heritage and space constraints. Sometimes a ramp is impossible, so a bespoke retracting stairlift platform becomes the only viable option.

From there, the process involves:
- Balancing local permitting rules with European compliance (CE marking & Machinery Directive Annex 8)
- Choosing between preliminary drawings for speed or detailed design packages for certainty
- Tackling site-specific challenges, such as basement access, vaulted ceilings, or load-bearing walls

These projects prove that accessibility in heritage buildings is about creative problem-solving that respects history while opening doors for everyone.

Learn more: https://www.sesameaccess.com/about/articles/how-bespoke-accessibility-lift-enquiries-progress-in-historic-buildings

03/10/2025

How do bespoke hidden lifts from the UK find their way into heritage sites, hotels, and private homes across the globe?

At Sesame Access Systems, it’s all about partnerships. We work closely with international lift companies and sales agents by sharing training, engineering expertise, and marketing support to deliver world-class accessibility solutions.

From France to far beyond, our model empowers partners with unique products, trusted branding, and long-term client relationships.

Curious how it works (and how to become a partner)? Read the full story here: https://www.sesameaccess.com/about/articles/how-sesame-access-works-with-international-lift-partners-to-sell-sesame-lifts-internationally