A staircase located at the back of a building, often used by servants or for service purposes (can also be spelled backstairs).
Back + stair; 'stair' from Old Norse 'steigr.' In medieval and Victorian architecture, back stairs were essential infrastructure for servants to move unseen.
In Victorian mansions, the servants' back stairs were often narrow, steep, and badly lit—a completely different world from the grand front stairs where family and guests walked, literally dividing society by architecture!
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