Huh. I always assumed it was because they looked a bit like a confessional with the two doors side-by-side. Many years ago I worked in Viscount House (since de

Huh. I always assumed it was because they looked a bit like a confessional with the two doors side-by-side. Many years ago I worked in Viscount House (since demolished) at Heathrow Airport where there was a paternoster lift. One day a workman tried to take a wooden ladder through it - it didn't fit. The result was... loud. I thought it was quite fun to use, but for years after I had minor nightmares about being in the thing with various things going wrong. My subconscious apparently wasn't a fan!