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Age Verified of the Oldest Door in England from Anglo-Saxon Times

An oak door thought to be covered in human skin has been declared the oldest in Britain.

The historic door in Westminster Abbey was long rumoured to be the site where a man was stripped of his skin in punishment for a religious crime.


The door dates back to the 11th century to the reign of Edward the Confessor and is the only Anglo Saxon door in Britain.

Three months of research on the door, costing £3,800 and funded by English Heritage, has just finished.

An Abbey spokeswoman said: "In the 19th century it was noticed there were fragments of hide adhering to the door and a legend grew suggesting these were human.

"It was supposed that somebody in the Middle Ages had been caught committing sacrilege in the Abbey, had been flayed and his skin nailed to the door as a deterrent to other would-be felons."

However, it is now believed to be only cow hide.

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-13400899,00.html?f=rss