Whether rising to the highest room of the tallest tower in a Disney-esque castle, giving an admirer the chance to confess their love on an apartment building fire escape, or connecting a basement or attic room with a decorative period feature, there?s something unavoidably romantic about spiral staircases. But there?s more function behind these coiling forms than just their good looks.

Bergeyre House. Image © Cecile Septet

Whether rising to the highest room of the tallest tower in a Disney-esque castle, giving an admirer the chance to confess their love on an apartment building fire escape, or connecting a basement or attic room with a decorative period feature, there?s something unavoidably romantic about spiral staircases. But there?s more function behind these coiling forms than just their good looks.One common-held theory is that spiral staircases were first installed in historic castles as vertical baffles, tiring out enemy infiltrators before they could make it to the top. This is why ? it is said ? many are set to turn clockwise on the ascent, so attackers have a smaller arc for swinging weapons (mostly held in right hands) than defenders making their descent. Read more »

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