This oak door featured in Westminster Abbey is Britain’s oldest and only Anglo-Saxon Door. The door has been standing for over 900 years, dating back to the reign of Edward the Confessor during the 1050s. The door is made from a single oak from Eastern England that stood 6.5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Traces of human skin have been rumored to remain on the door, but it has been proved to be cowhide. The door opens into the octagonal Chapter House, where monks met every day for prayers in the 13th century and today serves as a storage place for important religious documents.
Prior to our trip to Westminster Abbey, this door stood out as an amazing artifact to me just because of its age alone. I found it astounding that a door can still be functional after nearly 900 years of service, although scientists say the constant service is the mere reason for the door’s survival, in addition to it being inside. I then began thinking of all the history the door has experienced. The famous leaders and historical figures that must have passed through, the important decisions made behind its thick wooden structure. The door fascinated me because of how many people in history have stood there and admired it, just as I was going to, but centuries before I was born.
After actually visiting the door at Westminster Abbey, I was somewhat disappointed. It seemed to be just an afterthought we walked by on our tour, while learning about it previously had made it seem like a much more prominent artifact of history. The door was also a lot smaller in person than I expected. It was still fascinating to see Britain’s oldest door in person, but I was one of the few to actually stop and appreciate it because it is in a very dim walkway outside of the main part of Westminster Abbey. This just goes to show how the smallest items can be crucial part of a culture’s history.
Awesome, history. 🤩