This lack of documentation is not, of course, especially surprising on its own, since there are very few surviving medieval primary sources that discuss castle design in any kind of detail, and, on its own, it certainly does not automatically prove that medieval staircases were not designed to spiral clockwise as a defense mechanism. The claim is based on nothing but modern speculation. The first problem with the claim that spiral staircases in medieval castles were deliberately designed to give right-handed defenders an advantage is that there are no extant medieval primary sources that expressly say this. A far more parsimonious explanation is that the majority of staircases were designed clockwise simply so that a right-handed person could keep their right hand on the wall for balance while descending the staircase under everyday circumstances. Unfortunately, for reasons I am about to explain, it is also almost certainly wrong there is no compelling evidence to suggest that medieval staircases were intentionally designed this way for this reason and there is a great deal of evidence to suggest the opposite. It is also one of those “fun facts” that are often repeated on the internet. This is something that tour guides often tell people visiting castles. Chances are, if you have ever visited a medieval European castle or read about such castles online, you have probably heard that newel staircases in these castles were intentionally always designed in the form of a clockwise spiral to give the most space to the right-handed defenders at the top of the stairs to draw and swing their swords while simultaneously restricting the space available to the right-handed attackers attempting to ascend the staircase.
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