Archaeology of Britain's Oldest Church Doors : Westminster, Hadstock and 'Dane-skins'

Explores the history, construction, and scientific analysis of England's oldest doors, including those at Westminster Abbey and Hadstock Church.Archaeology of BritainOldest Church Doors presents a detailed and fascinating study of the two oldest doors in England: in the chapter house vestibule at Westminster Abbey, which pre-dates the Norman Conquest (1050s) and the north nave door at Hadstock Church, Essex, dated to the 1060s70s. The Westminster door was formerly covered with skin on both faces, which had been claimed as human, and variously attributed either to a Danish raider, or to the English merchant who instigated an audacious robbery in 1303 from the royal treasury, housed in the abbey cloister. The Hadstock door was notorious for its presumed great antiquity and the fact that its exterior had also once been covered with hide. Moreover, these doors were embellished with ornate ironwork.Having been responsible for archaeological investigations that involved both of these doors and their settings at

use in their respective buildings.A surprising variety of techniques is displayed in the later 11th and 12th centuries, and the Westminster door is unique. Its form of construction is unmatched by any other recorded door in Britain. Are its origins Anglo-Saxon or Norman-French? Two woodwork historians, Peter Massey and Paul Reed, undertook a detailed study of the construction method and tools required to fabricate the Westminster door, and a chapter has been devoted here to their findings. [Publisher's Text]