A paternoster or paternoster lift is an elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments (each usually designed for two persons) that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers who are agile enough can step on or off at any floor they like.

The name paternoster ("Our Father") has been taken from the first two words of the Lord's Prayer in Latin. A special bead on a rosary indicates that a Pater Noster is to be said, and from there the whole rosary and, what is more, anything resembling a rosary was referred to as paternoster.

Paternosters were popular throughout the first half of the 20th century as they could carry more passengers than ordinary elevators. They were more common in Europe, especially in public buildings, and less so in Great Britain. However there are still working paternoster lifts at the Albert Sloman library, which is part of the University of Essex, the Arts Tower, which is part of the University of Sheffield, and in the Attenborough Tower, which is part of the University of Leicester in England.

In Scotland, a working paternoster serves seven floors of the Pontecorvo Building (former Department of Genetics) in the University of Glasgow. This building is not open to the public. A Paternoster was installed here (on construction, in 1966-67; architects Basil Spence & Partners) because each floor has a small area and it was anticipated that staff and students would make many short journeys. This expectation has been fulfilled, and the Paternoster is considered to have been a very valuable device. A serious accident elsewhere (noted below) led to an 18-month close-down of all UK Paternosters for a safety review, during which additional safety devices were fitted.

Other working paternosters include the one in the Finnish house of parliament, Eduskuntatalo. There is a working paternoster in Trostbrücke 1, in the Altstadt district of Hamburg, Germany, although this is a working office and not always open to the general public. A functioning paternoster can also be found at the Flemish Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, where it is used as an art display.

A common misconception is that it is dangerous to stay on in an upgoing cabin after it has reached the top floor or in a downgoing one after it has passed the ground floor level. The compartment remains upright, and travel is possible provided that the passengers remain perfectly still. Nevertheless there are two risks of such a journey. The elevator is liable to shut down if an occupant of the cabin shifts position during the cabin's lateral motion from the upward to the downward shaft or vice versa. Also, the drive chain is exposed above the top floor. In 1989, the paternoster in Newcastle University's Claremont Tower was taken out of service after a passenger undertaking an up-and-over journey fouled himself on the drive chain, necessitating a rescue by the Fire Service. A conventional elevator was subsequently installed in its place.

Today, in many countries the construction of new paternosters is no longer allowed because of the high danger of accidents (people tripping or falling over when trying to enter or alight). Also, an increased sensitivity to the needs of the disabled, for instance wheelchair users, has led to the paternoster's gradual demise. Existing ones remain operative until they are dismantled, so there are still some but their number is continually decreasing. As objects that belong to a vanishing world, for some people paternosters have achieved cult status.

In April 2006, Hitachi announced plans for a modern paternoster with computer-controlled cars and normal elevator doors to alleviate safety concerns. ^*

Cultural references

An example of a continuous-belt type paternoster of the type used in industrial plants can be seen in the 1966 film Our Man Flint, in which James Coburn uses a paternoster to escape pursuing enemies.

In the 1976 film The Omen, a paternoster can be seen in the Rome hospital visited by Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) in the course of his enquiries into the origins of Damien.

In the 1967 TV series The Prisoner episode "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling" the Number Six character (played in that episode by Nigel Stock) is seen taking a ride in a Paternoster lift (located in reality at the GEC Marconi building in Borehamwood).

In David Lodge's 1975 novel Changing Places, the transplanted Californian, Morris Zapp, is chased up and down a paternoster by a psychotic professor of Literature at the fictitious University of Rummidge in England.

There is another Paternoster in the Marconi building in Beeston.

External links

• List and photos of Paternoster lifts
• Paternosters still in operation in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria
• Link to a tour of the University of Essex Albert Sloman library in England with picture of the paternoster lift
• Pages about history of Paternosters in the world and especiallly in the Czech Republic List of all paternosters in Prague with information and photographs. Technical directives of the European Union for paternosters.
• History and photos of the I.G. Farben Building (now the Poelzig-Bau) in Frankfurt/M, Germany, famous for its paternosters
• Information and photos regarding the GEC Marconi Paternoster featured in "The Prisoner" TV series

Elevators

Paternoster | Paternosteraufzug | Páternoszter | Paternoster (lift) | Dźwig okrężny | Paternosterhissi | Paternoster-hiss