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Paternoster Lift. Sheffield University's Arts Tower.

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These should be banned in my opinion.

 

Along with escalators!

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These should be banned in my opinion.

 

Why? Are there lots of injuries on the Arts Tower lift?

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I wouldn't mind having a go on it as well.

 

Maybe out of term time the Uni could allow limited access for a small charge so the general public could have a ride up to the top. I'd like to see the views from up the top of the tower.

 

It's a public access building ...

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It's a public access building ...

 

Well, yes and no. I suspect that you're not officially supposed to go in there if you're not a student or member or university staff, or there on any other legitimate business (such as attending a public meeting there).

 

In practice, though, as long as you behave yourself, look confident, and look as if you know where you're going, you can usually get away with sneaking in and taking a ride on it, especially if you go at a fairly quiet time when it's still in operation but there aren't many students or staff about (such as between 4 and 6pm on a Friday - I think it stops running at 6pm each day and the building is probably closed at weekends).

 

Paternoster lifts are still quite common in some countries in mainland Europe, especially in Germany, but they tend to be in buildings where access is restricted. I believe that there is a department store in Berne, Switzerland, that still has one open for public use, though.

 

Maybe the university should do tours of it, including a look behind the scenes at the engine room, for the annual heritage buildings open weekend in September. I guess the tours would have to be pre-booked and every visitor would have to be closely supervised.

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Well, yes and no. I suspect that you're not officially supposed to go in there if you're not a student or member or university staff, or there on any other legitimate business (such as attending a public meeting there).

 

In practice, though, as long as you behave yourself, look confident, and look as if you know where you're going, you can usually get away with sneaking in and taking a ride on it, especially if you go at a fairly quiet time when it's still in operation but there aren't many students or staff about (such as between 4 and 6pm on a Friday - I think it stops running at 6pm each day and the building is probably closed at weekends).

 

Paternoster lifts are still quite common in some countries in mainland Europe, especially in Germany, but they tend to be in buildings where access is restricted. I believe that there is a department store in Berne, Switzerland, that still has one open for public use, though.

 

Maybe the university should do tours of it, including a look behind the scenes at the engine room, for the annual heritage buildings open weekend in September. I guess the tours would have to be pre-booked and every visitor would have to be closely supervised.

 

As far as I'm aware, the public are allowed in the building if they want to venture in. You'll find that on the majority of the floors there are swipe card locks that ensure non-staff & non-students can't venture further than the lift area of each floors.

 

This is the way much of the University campus works, you can also wander into the Diamond building for a look round but you can't get past the first floor without a swipe card.

Edited by RootsBooster

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Its been a few years since I went in during my urbex days. But I dressed student-y, looked confident and strolled in straight to the lift. (It helps if you learn the layout first so you don't look like you don't know where you're going)

 

Had a play in it for a while then got out at the top to try and get some good view pictures. Amazingly, the door to the roof was unlocked so managed to get up there and take some photos.

 

Sadly it was a pretty overcast day so the views weren't amazing.

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Its been a few years since I went in during my urbex days. But I dressed student-y, looked confident and strolled in straight to the lift. (It helps if you learn the layout first so you don't look like you don't know where you're going)

 

Had a play in it for a while then got out at the top to try and get some good view pictures. Amazingly, the door to the roof was unlocked so managed to get up there and take some photos.

 

Sadly it was a pretty overcast day so the views weren't amazing.

 

Yes, probably best to watch the clip of it on Look North mentioned at the start of this thread (or one of several other YouTube clips of it) before going there so you know how to get on and off it. And remember that it's on your left as you go into the building (the ordinary lift is on the right), and you want the left-hand cabin if you're going up.

 

There is a clip of The Gentlemen performing one of their songs on it! Don't do what they did, though: they get on it three at a time (the two of them visible in the clip, plus the person with the camera)!

 

Obviously this is hypothetical as new paternoster installations have been illegal for many years now, but I wonder if a paternoster would have worked in a building that was, say, 50 or 100 storeys high? AFAIK the Arts Tower is the tallest building in the world with a working paternoster.

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As far as I'm aware, the public are allowed in the building if they want to venture in. You'll find that on the majority of the floors there are swipe card locks that ensure non-staff & non-students can't venture further than the lift area of each floors.

 

This is the way much of the University campus works, you can also wander into the Diamond building for a look round but you can't get past the first floor without a swipe card.

 

The public are not "...allowed in the building if they want to venture in."

It is private property, they have never been public buildings.

You might be invited in to a foyer area to ask advice or information or see a display etc.

You cannot assume that because there is no barrier that you can walk into and around a building unless stopped.

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I wonder if there has been many accidents,i would like the chance to do the full circle in it before it finally gets closed down.Limb loss looks a possibility on it if you get your timing wrong.:hihi:

There have been quite a few accidents on them. Mainly when delivery drivers try to take their goods up or down on them if the lifts are busy. It`s bad enough trying to get yourself on, never mind getting a sack barrow on too

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There is a list of surviving paternosters (in German) at http://www.flemming-hamburg.de/patlist.htm

 

"Liste laufender Paternoster" means list of operational paternosters. The list of countries is at the top of the page. Grossbritannien is Great Britain, Deutschland is Germany.

 

Disused paternosters are highlighted in grey. If it says "Nicht öffentlich zugänglich" in red this means not accessible to the public. "Nur für Personal" means for staff use only. If it says "Frei zugänglich" in green this means it is freely accessible (though this could mean that the building is officially open to the public, or that public access is not officially allowed but in practice there is little or nothing to stop anyone wandering in and taking a ride), "für angemeldete Besucher zugänglich" means accessible to visitors with appointments or who have signed in.

 

The list may not necessarily be completely up to date, though.

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