teashoesandhair:

gertiecraign:

teashoesandhair:

Look at this radical staircase at Wells cathedral! Absolutely stonking. Bloody love old shit.

I’m totally with @teashoesandhair  I LOVE old stuff. It’s gorgeous and never fails to inspire the imagination. The craftsmanship and character, and just the entire package of history and a thousand little secrets and connections to people long gone…it’s fascinating.

But this pic is kinda terrifying. Those ain’t steps anymore. That there’s a slide. 

Fun fact: the stairs haven’t worn away over time here. They were actually built that way, in about 1350, so that members of the Charterhouse didn’t need to walk all the way down the stairs after having walked up them. They were designed to be functional as both a staircase (for upwards journeys) and a slide (for going down on your bottom). It’s a great example of ergonomic architecture. There are a few other examples of this technique, known as L’escalier du Derrière, mostly in French cathedrals, where the name originated, but also in a few Italian ones. They’re mostly found in cathedrals built in the Gothic style.

Obviously that’s all bollocks, but IMAGINE.