University of Sheffield Arts Tower Paternoster

Heading from floor 14 to the lower ground floor of the University of Sheffield's Arts Tower, Sheffield, in England. The paternoster lift is one of just a handful still operating in Europe.

Since filming this video, the Arts Tower has been closed for an extensive refurbishment. Various academic departments (including architecture) are schedule to return for the 2011/2 academic year. My understanding is that the paternoster is a feature of the listed building, and therefore has had to be preserved, but I'd appreciated confirmation of its current status.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Elevator
• Lift
• Paternoster
• Sheffield
• University
• Arts
• Tower

[cumesoftware]

I wonder what happens of someone gets stuck in there.

[jamesbrownontheroad]

The lift stops automatically whenever a trip cord is pulled - these stop limbs etc getting caught. The porters on the ground floor can restart it pretty quickly. If it's a major fault (such as when dumb-ass contractors try to take a ladder in the lift and get them caught) then a PA system announces shutdown and you have to wait for assistance. This is why you shouldn't go over the top or under the bottom - it's not dangerous, it's just very difficult to get you out if there's a breakdown.

[cumesoftware]

Why the need of a paternoster when normal lifts exist?

[jamesbrownontheroad]

There are only two "normal" lifts for twenty floors, and the building houses about half a dozen different academic departments and lecture theatres. Architecture, for instance, is spread between the 13th and 19th floors. Average wait time for a lift can be as much as five minutes, so for going a couple of floors it's very quick and convenient. Besides, one of the two regular lifts is out of order, and has been for about a week now... the cable broke !

[golaharsh]

i have my lectures in basement!! i never have used it now i want to!! moreover i want to go on the terrace of arts tower!! its fuking huge !!

[lovelplants]

very nice video.. so thrilling heheh.. lol.. what if something comes out.. lol...:)

[Andehtw]

Good news! The Arts tower is opening this year and I just spent a good ten minutes riding the cleaner looking paternoster.

[gillie63]

When I was a philosophy undergraduate in the early eighties the queue even for the paternoster on the ground floor was so great that we regularly went round the bottom, it was quicker than waiting. Having said that, by the time you got to the higher floors you could feel it shaking. We reckoned it was only fair that the architects were stuck at the top.

[sausageroll95]

....I think I'll take the normal lift thanks :L

[MrUNIXman]

Cool Paternoster, cool to race the paternoster with the normal lift and stairs

[Sadministrator]

I've got a bigger shaft than that...

[JonThm]

Steam power is nuclear fusion

[MIKEMASTER1A]

unexpress paternoster elevator. I'm bit bored slow down like a old library paternoster lifts for the marathon. However I'll take normal lift be quicker than that. I'm a 34 now I can't anymore. There was right that will could happened sometime being stuck or accident paternoster lift like a death trapped. There didn't stopped the floors. Is quite scare about that now.