A Patanoster Lift is a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments, each usually designed for two people that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like. The name Patanoster, which means our father, the first two words in the Lord's Prayer in Latin, was originally applied to the device because the elevator is in the form of a loop and is thus similar to rosary beads used as an aid in reciting prayers. Peter Ellis installed the first elevators that could be described as Patanosterlists in Oral Chambers in Liverpool in 1868. Another was used in 1876 to transport parcels at the General Post Office in London. In 1877, an Englishman Peter Hart patented the idea of a circular elevator for people his cyclic lift. Hart's invention became G Hall's cyclic elevator which was first installed in a London office block in 1884. The newly built Dove and Hoff in Hamburg was inaugurated in 1886. It was a prototype for the latest office building equipped with the latest technology and also had a Patanoster. It was the first Patanoster outside of Great Britain and was still driven by steam power like the English systems. The highest Patanoster lift in the world was located in Stuttgart on the 16th floor Taglatt Tower which was completed in 1927. Patanosters were popular throughout the first half of the 20th century because they could carry more passengers and ordinary elevators. They were more common in continental Europe, especially in public buildings than in the UK. They were relatively slow elevators typically travelling at about a foot a second to facilitate getting on and off. This meant a longer travel time between many floors due to the lower speed which is why they weren't installed in high skyscrapers. In the case of heavily frequented lifts stopping on several floors however the travel time can be better. Another disadvantage is the reduced fire protection compared to conventional elevators since in the event of a fire the fire can easily spread over several floors of a house. This isn't as easy with conventional elevators because the entrance doors function as fire protection doors. As with an escalator getting in and out also requires a certain amount of concentration especially for inexperienced users. Patanoster elevators are only intended for transporting people, accidents have occurred where patanosters were misused by transporting bulky items such as ladders or library trolleys. The risk involved is estimated to be 30 times higher than conventional elevators. A representative of the Union of Technical Inspection Associations stated that Germany saw an average of one death per year prior to 2002 and which point many patanosters were made inaccessible to the general public. The construction of new patanosters is no longer allowed in many countries because of the high risk of accidents for people who cannot use the lift properly. In 2012 an 81 year old man was killed when he fell into the shaft of a patanoster in the Dutch city of the Hague. Elderly people, disabled people and children are the most in danger of being crushed or losing a limb. In September 1975 the patanoster in Newcastle University's Claremont Tower was taken out of service when a passenger was killed when a car left its guide rail at the top of its journey and forced the two cars ascending behind it into the winding room above. In October 1988 a second non-fatal accident occurred in the same lift. A conventional lift was installed in its place in 1989. In West Germany new patanoster installations were banned in 1974 and there was an attempt to shut down all existing installations in 1994. However, there was a wave of popular resistance to the ban at the time and to another prospective ban in 2015. As of 2015 Germany has 231 patanosters. In April 2006 he attached the announced plans for a modern patanoster style elevator with computer controlled cars and standard elevator doors to alleviate safety concerns. A prototype was revealed in February 2013. Many patanoster lifts have been shut down but there are surviving examples still in the world. For example in Austria the Czech Republic Denmark Finland Germany Hungary Poland Russia Slovakia Sri Lanka Sweden and the UK. If you like these videos and want to see more then feel free to subscribe. Thanks for watching and see you in the next video.