DID YOU KNOW? The Father of the Escalator is linked to Skelmorlie! 
When you step onto an escalator in a shopping centre or airport, you are using an invention that has a direct family link to our village.
Today we are looking at Charles Seeberger, the man who coined the word “Escalator” and helped introduce it to the world—and how his legacy left a lasting mark on Skelmorlie.
The Inventor
Born in Iowa in 1857, Charles Seeberger was an independent inventor with a vision. In the late 1890s, he refined the concept of a moving staircase (improving on earlier, unsafe designs) and coined the name “escalator” by combining “scala” (steps) with “elevator.”
He teamed up with the Otis Elevator Company to display his invention at the Paris Exhibition of 1900, where it won First Prize. In 1910, he sold his patent rights to Otis, a deal that secured his family’s future.
The Skelmorlie Connection
So, how does this relate to us?
Charles’s daughter, Lucia Seeberger, married James Hally Brown—a director of the famous Paisley industrial dynasty, Brown & Polson (known for their cornflour and starch).
The couple made their home here in Skelmorlie, moving into Craignahuille—the very same house where Mrs. Hoyes (who gifted the original Workman’s Rest) had lived 70 years earlier.
Tragedy and Generosity
The Brown family’s time in the village was marked by deep personal tragedy, which they turned into public good. They lost both their sons as young men:
* John, who died in an accident in 1938 aged 28.
* Charles (named after his inventor grandfather), an RAF Pilot who was killed in action in 1941, aged 26.
In 1943, seeking to commemorate their sons, James and Lucia bought Stroove House. Their original plan was to convert it into a cottage hospital. However, with the creation of the NHS in 1948, a private hospital became unnecessary. Instead, they generously gifted Stroove to the people of Skelmorlie as a Community Centre, along with an endowment for its upkeep.
The Fire at Dunholm
The family also owned Dunholm at the corner of Long Hill. In 1957, the original house was destroyed by a fierce fire—an event that highlighted the urgent need for better local fire-fighting arrangements. Channeling her father’s inventive spirit, Mrs. Brown helped design the modern Dunholm that replaced it.
A Final Gift
In 1958, Mrs. Brown gave one last major gift to the village: the Library and changing rooms, which were built on the site of the old Workman’s Rest.
Mr. Brown passed away in February 1967, and Lucia followed him in December of that same year. Their legacy lives on in the buildings and community spaces we still use today.
Next time you visit the Community Centre spare a thought for the family behind it, and the man who gave the world the escalator!