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About Henchman

Since 1994, Henchman has been a pioneer of garden ladders and safe hedge-cutting platforms. We launched our first model at RHS Chelsea over 25 years ago.

We’ve grown from a small business to leading ladder design specialists, crafting a wide range of unique ladders and garden accessories designed to keep you safe on uneven terrain.

By using Henchman, you’re adding great products to your toolkit, while supporting a family business that’s passionate about creating a safe, sturdy and - most importantly - enjoyable gardening experience.

The original Wheeled Henchman ladder

A bit of background

Henchman’s story begins after a (thankfully!) not-too-serious fall whilst hedge cutting from a ladder. This brought about the realisation that typical step ladders were not designed for uneven terrain.

Father and son team, Mike and Tom Kitching, initially developed the first Wheeled Henchman platform for Tom’s GCSE woodwork project. Since then, the Henchman team has grown along with our product range. With ongoing input from engineers, the company now offers a broad range of products designed to be essential, long-lasting and of excellent value.

Leading Ladder Design Specialists

All of our Henchman ladders are designed for uneven ground by our dedicated team, based right here in the UK.

The original Wheeled Henchman is manufactured in Great Britain and welded by our experts in Somerset. Our Tripod and Hi Step ladder range is manufactured by our ISO 90001-accredited manufacturer in China, where our professional engineers work hard to ensure that each ladder is of the highest quality, and provides you with a safe gardening experience. Each of our designs continues to evolve as time goes on, so rest assured you’re in safe hands with Henchman.

Our customers include… 

We’re proud of how we’ve helped our customers across the UK stay safe when working at height. From Royal households to the NHS and National Trust, our products have helped gardeners, DIY-enthusiasts and professionals get the job done.

You can read about our customers over on our blog. Here are a few of our customers’ stories below:

Discovering Henchman tripod ladders has revolutionised gardening for landscaper Stevie Robertson

For landscape gardener Stevie Robertson, owner of SR Landscapes, our tripod ladder is an integral piece of gardening equipment. Read more about how Steve has made the most of his Henchman tripod here.

Landscaper using tripod ladder to trim hedges

Tree pruning with Henchman at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park

As the largest sculpture centre of its kind in Europe, the team of Yorkshire Sculpture Park needed a sturdy ladder to keep them safe when working at height. Luckily, our ladders do exactly that - read our case study to see how YSP have used our tripod ladders to look after their 500-acre parkland.

Sculpture at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

From hedges and sculptures to the England Rugby Team….

We’re big rugby fans here at Henchman. So we love that our tripod ladders have been used by the England squad for training! Our 10ft ladder is now an integral part of the team’s lineout training, ticking all the boxes when it comes to the team’s safety.

Read more how the England Rugby Team use our tripod ladders here. 

England Rugby Team using tripod ladder during training England Rugby coach standing on tripod ladder

Charity work

At Henchman, we are proud to support Life at No.27 through charitable donations to help aspiring gardeners get started with their projects. From growing herbs in a window box to a flourishing flower bed, anyone can find their green fingers.

Logo of No.27 - Oxfordshire charity

Life at No.27 is a remarkable social enterprise that works with communities to encourage people to take on creative outdoor projects. By educating them on the benefits of gardening for mental health, new gardeners can try out new things and bring some tranquillity to their busy schedules.

Click through if you’d like to know more about our work with Life at No.27.

From the team at Henchman

We’ve loved watching our business grow and seeing our customers garden safely with our Henchman ladders. We’re looking forward to expanding and evolving our product range, enhancing the gardening experience for professionals and DIY gardeners alike.

“At Henchman, we’re excited to be expanding our reach into new countries and industries, and achieving our mission to prevent falls from height.” - Owen Simpson, Commercial Director

From everyone here at Henchman, thank you to all of those who have supported us in our journey. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for our family business.