Unsafe at Any Speed
Abbeylara, County Longford
Ireland
2019
I read once that castle spiral staircases were always built in a counter-clockwise direction looking down. The reason for this was so that right-handed swordsmen defending from above had more room to draw and swing their swords than swordsmen invading from below (unless of course they were beset with left-handed invaders). This particular set of stairs was in a Cistercian Abbey rather than a castle. I’m not sure how much sword work the monks participated in so tradition more so than defense may have been the reason for these stairs being built that way.
That’s an interesting idea about the counter-clockwise rotation. But if I’m a right-handed swordsman, then I’m drawing my sword against the wall side if I’m going down. Seems backwards to me! (Same for those coming up the stairs.) Maybe I just don’t understand swordsmanship! 🙂
I don’t know, I just report what I read!:-) Actually, I can kind of see an argument either way.