Harrods department store in London installed England's first moving staircase in 1898, designed by Jesse W.

A moving belt, not a staircase of steps

Harrods’ 1898 installation tackled a practical problem: how to carry shoppers between floors without asking them to climb. Jesse W. Reno’s design used a continuously moving, inclined belt made of woven leather. Instead of stepping from one fixed stair to another, a passenger stood on the belt as it carried them upward.

That made the device a conveyor for people—a new use for the same basic idea used to move goods along a production line. Its novelty was also part of the challenge: shoppers had to trust an unfamiliar machine with their balance and their journey between floors.

Getting people to try it

The staff’s response to nervous passengers shows that introducing the technology meant more than installing it. Harrods offered smelling salts and brandy at the top, turning arrival into a moment of reassurance as well as a practical handoff from machine to shop floor.

The detail captures the transition the escalator represented: an ordinary trip upstairs became a ride. The first passengers needed help accepting that a moving surface could safely do the climbing for them.