ladderway

plural ladderways

1. The shaft or passage enclosing a ladder or connected by ladders.

   It rose in tiers, a maze of intricate wiring inset with black crystal, and surrounded by ladderways and balconies.

   1957, Sydney J. Bounds, The Robot Brains, London: Digit Books, page 84

   2 more examples

   Having spaced the beams of the upper deck according to the disposition of the beams below, the ladderways should be so contrived, that in ships of war there should be one next abaft the fore hatchway, which is a single ladderway[…]

   1805, David Steel, The shipwright's vade-mecum, page 208

   Digger lunged past me, his shotgun arm extended down the ladderway. One-handed, he fired twice blindly. The shotgun blasts were answered by a scream.

   2012, Richard Marcinko, John Weisman, Detachment Bravo, page 363